Sheila Norene Sullivan

Sheila Norene Sullivan, 67, of Des Moines, passed away on Tuesday, May 16, 2023, at UnityPoint Methodist Hospital in Des Moines, Iowa.

She was born at Camp LeJeune, North Carolina to Wayne W. Hughes and Ruth Belle (Yazel) Hughes on March 8, 1956. She graduated from Norwalk High School in Norwalk, Iowa, followed by graduation from Iowa Methodist School of Nursing in Des Moines. She passed her Iowa State Board to become a Registered Nurse in 1977. Her nursing career was spent mostly caring for children at Blank Children’s Hospital and Iowa Lutheran Hospital in Des Moines. She married her husband, Vincent E. Sullivan in October 1992 and they made their home in Des Moines. When her health necessitated a change from bedside nursing to a job with more structured hours, she worked as a Nurse Reviewer/Certified Case Manager at Principal Financial Group in their Health Division and later worked as a Clinical Documentation Specialist at Unity Point Health, Des Moines until her retirement in 2020.

Sheila always enjoyed children, especially the newborn to early school age but never had children of her own. She enjoyed cooking, working on most types of puzzles and welcomed a good challenge. She was a member of Wakonda Christian Church and volunteered for Blank Children’s Hospital completing sewing projects requested by the hospital. Vince was her best friend and they enjoyed traveling, target shooting, long drives, and just being together.

Sheila was preceded in death by her husband, Vincent E. Sullivan; mother, Ruth Belle Hughes; grandparents; aunts; uncles; and two cousins.

She is survived by her father, Wayne W. Hughes (friend, Shirley) of Des Moines, Iowa; sister, Cindy (Doug) Thiel of Garden Grove, Iowa; nephew, Michael (Jennifer) Thiel of Boone, Iowa; and their children, Alice, Cyndi, and John; foster brother, Jim (Tara) Watson of Tallassee, Alabama; and many cousins and dear friends.

Visitation will be held on Tuesday, May 23, 2023, from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. at Wakonda Christian Church, 3938 Fleur Drive. The funeral service will follow the visitation at 10:00 a.m. also at the church. Burial will follow at Sunset Memorial Gardens Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed to Blank Children’s Hospital- Child Life Department in loving memory of Sheila.

Online condolences may be expressed at www.HamiltonsFuneralHome.com.

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