Posted on 07/02/2018
Sheila A. Gildea, DPM, Loving wife, mother, sister, aunt and grandmother passed away peacefully on her 88th birthday - June 26, 2018. Born in Woonsocket, RI to General James A. Murphy and Veronica Brennan Murphy on June 26, 1930, she was an athlete and scholar throughout her life. She proudly attended the University of Rhode Island where she was a varsity athlete in three sports: basketball, softball and field hockey. While there, she became a life lifelong member of Chi Omega Sorority. She then enrolled at Temple University, earning her Doctorate in Podiatric Medicine at the age of 21. She returned to Rhode Island after graduation where she led a thriving surgical practice until she met and married Joseph A. Gildea, a young United States Naval Academy graduate. Over the next 63 years, they successfully raised four children, who adored her. They were also blessed with loving in-laws, grandchildren, nieces and nephews. Sheila and her fearless partner Joe traveled the world together. She lived an incredible life, enriched by learning and brimming with love, adventure and fun. After Joe's career path led them back to the United States, she returned to the practice of podiatry and then became a nationally recognized, award winning Senior Olympian earning international accolades for her track and field prowess. She is survived by her loving husband, Joseph; her children, Andrew J. Gildea, Daniel H. Gildea, Maureen G. Mann, Deirdre G. Johnson and their spouses, Lorie, David, and Jeffrey; her grandchildren and a large extended family. Sheila will have a Mass of Christian Burial at Saint Luke Catholic Church, 7001 Georgetown Pike, McLean, VA 22101 at 11 a.m., Saturday, July 7. Burial will follow at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date. Sheila Gildea: A Woman of Valor; A Life Well Lived. Online condolences and fond memories of Sheila may be offered to the family at www.moneyandking.com
Money and King Funeral Home
171 Maple Avenue W
Vienna, VA 22180
(703) 938-7440
Published in The Washington Post on July 1, 2018