Service: Sheila donated her body to the University of South Dakota for medical education and scientific study. In lieu of flowers, those wishing to honor her memory are encouraged to support an animal shelter, rescue, or other animal-welfare organization in their own community.

Sheila Ray, 74, passed away on August 26, 2026, at the Dougherty Hospice House in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Sheila was born September 26, 1951, to Laurence and Mary (Peg) Schreurs. She grew up in Alvord, Iowa, and graduated from West Lyon High School. She attended Wayne State College before earning her undergraduate degree from Northern Arizona University and her master’s degree from the City University of New York’s Bernard M. Baruch College.

Sheila built a successful career in healthcare consulting and, in 1990, founded her own consulting firm, which she owned and operated for decades. Her career took her to the East Coast, where she and her husband, Timothy Ray, made their home for many years while also calling Colorado home part-time.

Sheila and Tim shared an active and adventurous life. Together, they enjoyed scuba diving, skiing, sailing, hiking, traveling, and seeking out new experiences. In the 2000s, they transitioned their lives westward, calling both Colorado and Arizona home. Of all the places Sheila lived and traveled, she often said Colorado felt most like home to her.

Sheila’s sense of adventure continued well into her 60s. She enjoyed skiing, hiking, snowshoeing, traveling, and riding horseback. After Tim’s death in 2013, Sheila continued to embrace life on her own terms. She remained active and social and enjoyed gathering with friends, lively conversation, a good story, and the simple pleasure of an afternoon or evening spent in good company.

Sheila maintained friendships across both years and miles. She remained close with longtime friends from her years on the East Coast while building treasured friendships in Colorado and Arizona and maintaining dear friends in Montana, California, and elsewhere. Following Tim’s death, these friendships became an especially important source of companionship, laughter, and support.

Animals were another constant in Sheila’s life. She generously supported organizations devoted to animal welfare. Golden retrievers shared her life for many years, including her beloved Romeo Ray and, more recently, Reggie Ray, who became her faithful companion.  Over the years, she rode horseback and owned and cared for her own horses, as well.

Sheila shared a special and enduring bond with her nieces, Theresa Mehrman, Jacqui Grotewold, and Mary Schreurs. She took a genuine interest in their education, careers, and lives, staying connected through regular conversations, visits, and travels together. Their shared adventures included trips to New York City, Florida beaches, Las Vegas, Mexico, and Hilton Head, as well as visits to Sheila’s homes in the West. Throughout their lives, Sheila showed her nieces the value of being ambitious, self-reliant, and adventurous.

Sheila was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2023. She faced the disease as she did much of life—directly and on her own terms. Near the end of her life, Sheila came to the Sioux Falls area to be close to her three nieces, Theresa, Jacqui, and Mary. She spent two weeks in Theresa’s home receiving hospice care before transitioning to the Dougherty Hospice House in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where she passed away on August 26, 2026.

Sheila is survived by her nieces, Theresa Mehrman, Jacqui Grotewold, and Mary Schreurs and their families; her faithful golden retriever, Reggie Ray; her siblings, Doug (Jeanne) Schreurs, Judi (Cliff) Dunham, and Dan (Rachel) Schreurs; other extended family members; and many dear friends across the country. She was preceded in death by her husband, Timothy Ray; her parents, Laurence and Mary Schreurs; her brother, Bill Schreurs; and her nephew, Matt Schreurs.

Sheila donated her body to the University of South Dakota for medical education and scientific study. In lieu of flowers, those wishing to honor her memory are encouraged to support an animal shelter, rescue, or other animal-welfare organization in their own community.

Sheila was accomplished, adventurous, direct, generous, strong-willed, and, yes, stubborn. A friend described her aptly as “remarkable and complex.” She lived on her own terms, remained curious about the world, and cared deeply for the people and animals she chose to share her life with. For her nieces, the example of a woman unafraid to make her own way may be among the most enduring parts of her legacy.