Sheila Foster Dlouhy, 90, of South Dartmouth, passed away after a brief illness Sunday, September 3, 2023 surrounded by her family. She was the wife of her beloved Jerry (Gerald) Dlouhy, who predeceased her, and was the daughter of the late Mabel Duggan Foster and James Foster. She was born in New Bedford, and lived in South Dartmouth for the past 63 years.
She spent her childhood between Waycross, Georgia and New Bedford, dancing ballet, playing violin, and graduating from Waycross High School at the age of sixteen, having been double-promoted twice. She went on to study at Emory University, then Bridgewater State College, ultimately earning her M.Ed from Bridgewater Teachers College. While teaching elementary school for several years, she simultaneously learned to needlepoint, which became her grand passion. Not only did she become a master craftsman as a member of the Embroiderers' Guild of America, she became the proprietor of The Needleworker needlepoint shop in Padanaram Village, where she became renowned for her creative eye for unique fibers, hand-painted canvases, and her encyclopedic knowledge of stitchery. She was as talented and experimental in the kitchen; there wasn't a recipe ever written that intimidated her, much to her family's culinary delight.
Another passion was experiencing different cultures. Sheila and Jerry's travels took them from Nepal to New Zealand, Venezuela to Vatican City, Amsterdam to Australia, England to Egypt, Germany to Glasgow, British Columbia to Bermuda, Provence to Prague.
As much as she loved travel, she was as interested in and cherished all of her children's friends - keeping in touch with them for decades.
Her greatest passion, however, was her family. She is survived by her daughter, Caitlyn Dlouhy Meis (and husband Tim) of Mendham, New Jersey, her sons, Brendan F. Dlouhy (and wife Susan) of Southbury, Connecticut, and Aengus G. Dlouhy of South Dartmouth, four adored grandchildren, Zachary (and wife Kylie), and Erin Dlouhy, and Grace and Tess Meis, her equally adored great-grandchildren, Declan and Layla Dlouhy, her dear cousin, David Duggan, and her honorary niece, Deana Clark Terro.
Visiting hours will be held on Tuesday, September 5th, from 4 pm to 7 pm at the Saunders-Dwyer Home for Funerals, 495 Park Street, New Bedford, Massachusetts. Her funeral and burial will be private. Should you wish, in lieu of flowers, a donation in Sheila's honor would be most appreciated, to either Folds of Honor (which provides scholarships to families of fallen or disabled military), or to The Ashley Bryan Center (which provides children with opportunities to appreciate and create visual arts, literature, music, and oral and written traditions of poetry). For directions and guestbook, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.