Sheila Bloch Shear
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Sheila Bloch Shear passed away peacefully at the age of 87 on January 23, 2021, from a recurrence of cancer. Sheila was born on January 7, 1934 to Bess (Rosen) Bloch and Samuel Bloch in Hazleton PA, where she lived a happy early childhood surrounded by extended family. In 1941 the family moved to Baltimore MD, where she attended Baltimore Hebrew College and Goucher College and married Leroy Shear. The family eventually moved to Longmeadow MA, where she raised her two daughters. It was here that her lifelong interest in the needle arts blossomed into a career. For more than 25 years she was a proud member of the "rug ladies," a small close-knit group of volunteers that preserved and hung tapestries at the George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts in Springfield MA, as well as completing projects at other local museums. During this time she fulfilled a longtime dream of visiting Egypt, which helped to introduce her to the fascinating world of ancient Egyptian beadwork. Over several decades of volunteer work in the Egyptian Department of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Sheila became recognized as one of the country's foremost experts in the reconstruction of ancient Egyptian and Nubian beadwork. Her work includes a 4400-year-old bead net dress from one of the tombs near the Great Pyramid at Giza, currently on display at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, as well as numerous broad collars and other ancient jewelry in the Museum of Fine Arts collection.Sheila's contributions as a dedicated volunteer are emblematic of the generous spirit that she brought to all things. Friends and family also cherish her humor, her varied intellectual interests, and the sunny disposition that still managed to make others smile even while she was in hospice care. Sheila is survived by her brother Bob Bloch of Naples FL; daughter Paula Shear of Cincinnati OH; daughter Linda Shear and son-in-law Romel Jacinto of San Mateo CA; and beloved granddaughters Rebecca and Rachel Schafer. Private memorial activities will take place at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial donations be made to MAZON, A Jewish Response to Hunger, http://mazon.org or to Hospice Services, Baystate Health, Springfield MA, whose nurses and home health staff provided exceptional care as Sheila prepared for her final journey. The Ascher-Zimmerman Funeral Home is assisting the family.