Murphys, CA…Sheila Rae Elliott January 22, 1945 – May 2, 2025.  Sheila Rae Elliott passed away peacefully in her home in Murphys, California, on May 2 following complications from a fall she took while tending her beloved garden. She was 80 years old.

Sheila was a mother, an animal lover, a sports enthusiast, a gardener extraordinaire and a friend to many in Murphys Diggins Mobile Home Park and beyond. She adored pets, especially dogs, and was a lifelong fan of the San Francisco Giants and 49ers, as well as other Bay Area teams.

Sheila was born in Merced, California, on Jan. 22, 1945, the only child of Frank and Barbara Guelfo. The family settled in Berkeley where she attended Franklin Elementary School and Berkeley High School. She played on the volleyball team and competed in other sports at a time when most girls didn’t consider themselves athletic.

“I was a bit of a tomboy, probably because of my dad,” Sheila once shared. “He taught me how to throw a ball and would take me to see the Giants. He was a big sports fan.”

The family lived near Sheila’s paternal grandparents, Giovanni and Maria Guelfo, who were both born in Italy. Maria took care of Sheila most days until she started kindergarten.

“Nonna didn’t speak English, so I knew quite a bit of Italian when I was young,” Sheila remembered.
Giovanni had a vibrant vegetable garden where young Sheila loved to wander. Giovanni also had a dog with an uncanny knack for picking produce. Every day during the height of harvest, the dog would bring Giovanni one perfectly ripe tomato off the vine.

During Sheila’s high school years, her family relocated to Fremont, California. She graduated from Fremont High School in 1962. She took classes to prepare for a career in court reporting and also dreamed of becoming a sportscaster. Sheila was also excellent in math and accounting, which served her well in her ultimate career in bookkeeping and office management.

In Fremont, Sheila met a boy named Steve Elliott. They fell in love and married soon after Sheila graduated. They settled in Merced where Steve later found work as a firefighter for the Merced City Fire Department. They had three children — Sonnjea, Steve and Sara — and their life filled with swim lessons, scouts, baseball camp, paper routes and more. Sheila worked as an office manager for a local engineering firm. She and her husband stayed active in sports of their own, competing on recreational volleyball and softball teams.

Steve and Sheila divorced in 1980 and Sheila’s busy life got even busier. She worked as a bookkeeper for Save Mart and then Home Depot while shepherding her kids through the always challenging high school years. She began a blended family with Merced’s Larry Bowers and his three similarly aged children. Although Sheila and Larry never wed, they remained close throughout her life, and Larry will always be an important member of Sheila’s and her children’s family.

In 2011, Sheila retired and moved to Calaveras County to enjoy the mountain air. There, she embraced two of her favorite pastimes – pets and gardening. Sheila worked tirelessly in her yard and it showed. Her flowers attracted birds, butterflies and neighbors from blocks around.

Sheila became mom to three dogs — first her Havanese pups Teca and Kenzie and then her rescue dog, Niki – as well as several parakeets. Sheila was the go-to sitter for her neighbors’ and children’s pets, and her home was filled with dog toys, treats and love.

Sheila wasn’t much of a traveler later in life, but she enjoyed hearing about the adventures of her children and their expanding worlds. And they appreciated sharing their lives with her. Family and friends knew where to find her. When the weather was nice, she would invariably be in her yard pulling weeds, watering plants and savoring the sun.
As Sheila always said, “This is my happy place.”

Sheila is survived by her children, daughter Sonnjea Blackwell, son Steve Elliott and his wife, Diane Nelson, and daughter Sara Vizcaino and her husband, Dave Vizcaino; two step-grandchildren; four step-great grandchildren; and dear friend Larry Bowers and many others.

A celebration of life will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 28, at the Murphys Diggins Mobile Home Park clubhouse. A potluck lunch will be served. In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations to the Calaveras Humane Society (calaverashumane.org ) or a charity of your choice.