Sheila Rae (Wing) Navis

Sheila Rae Navis (Wing) passed away on December 11, 2022. She was born on January 13, 1950 in Newton, Iowa to Gale and Leona (Van Zee) Wing. She grew up with her parents and siblings on farms in Valeria and Runnells, Iowa. She attended Runnells Country School and SE Polk High School. Sheila played basketball and softball and was active in choir. Following graduation, Sheila obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree from Dordt College in Sioux Center, Iowa. At Dordt, she met and married James Navis. They had two daughters, Jennifer and Jodi. They moved to Sioux City and eventually Urbandale, Iowa. Sheila worked regularly when her daughters were young but professionally enjoyed her career as an Executive Director for Associations like Iowa Pharmacists, the Sherman Hill Association, and Rural Iowa Telephone Association later in her career. Sheila moved to Kansas City to work for The Robstan Group and enjoyed a great deal of travel for work to Hawaii and other warm weather destinations. Although Sheila loved her home in Brookside, she moved back to Des Moines and settled in Beaverdale after her grandchildren were born.

Sheila lived in some of the greatest neighborhoods and always found a house that needed a little love. She enjoyed restoring and working on projects that made her houses truly a home. From the Sherman Hill two story, to an East Village loft, to Hyde Park and Brookside, Missouri, and finally her bungalow in Beaverdale. Sheila loved a good estate sale, always finding a treasure to take home. From collecting flower frogs, watering cans or match books, she had an eye for taking the ordinary and curating it in a way that made it more. Sheila was in her garden as much as her home. She added her potting shed and held tea parties in her garden. Her love for her home and family was evident every Christmas when she would hand tie shells and silk ribbon as bows. Each child and grandchild had perfectly wrapped and planned paper on all their gifts. Sheila was also a huge fan of performing arts. She volunteered at the Des Moines Civic Center and regularly enjoyed the opportunity to see Broadway shows, musicals and symphony performances. Her purse was full of ticket stubs from her season tickets. Sheila found love when she reunited with a high school friend, Kevin Stalter in 2012. They were to be married when Kevin unexpectedly passed away. Sheila very much enjoyed her time traveling with Kevin and his company.

Sheila was diagnosed with Corticobasal Syndrome (CBS) in 2017 and spent her last years at Wesley Acres in Des Moines. Sheila is survived by her mother, Leona Wing; daughters, Jennifer Galloway (Michael), and Jodi Hoerr (Sam); grandchildren, Avery and Abigail Galloway, Kate and Zachary Hoerr; brothers, Denny Wing (Marcia), Greg Wing (Deb); and sister, Joan Allsup (Max). She is also survived by many other loved family members, cousins, nieces and nephews.

We are grateful to the staff at Wesley Acres and Wesley Acres Hospice for their care and compassion in our mother’s final days.

A visitation will be held at Plymouth Congregational Church on Friday, December 16, 2022 from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. with the funeral service to follow at 11:00 a.m.

Memorials can be made to Des Moines Botanical Center to help support and grow the beautiful gardens our mother loved.

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