Funeral services for Sheila McAnnally-Garcia, 47, will be 11 a.m. Saturday, October 5th at Hanceville Funeral Home Chapel. Burial will follow the service at Garden City Cemetery. Rev. Lonnie Goodwin will be officiating services. The family will welcome friends for visitation on Saturday at Hanceville Funeral Home from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
She entered this world and graced her personality unto us on the 19th of April 1977. She barely spoke but right after her 4th birthday, she was adopted by George Allen McAnnally and Patricia Sue Kelton McAnnally. Her first words on her trip to her new home were, “My Daddy has a police car” and then asked for fries and a drink. She had been very vocal ever since.
She is survived by her mother, Patti; me (Al); her kids Leo and Bridgette; her kids from other countries, Aimee and Mill; and of course, her pups, Rocky and Rambo; and a host of aunts, uncles and cousins.
Countless people will miss her. Her impact is without measure. Whether by hosting exchange students from other countries for a year at a time. Adoption was on our plate as well to follow in the footsteps of her parents. Leo and Bridgette. (LEO is my rock right now, thank you, Son.) Aimee and Mill are practically our children and are burned permanently into our hearts. Last but not least, despite the challenges of parenting and being passionate to a fault, she never gave up on ANY of them. A dozen lives have been impacted by her.
Sheila went to Hanceville Elementary School, Middle, and High School. She graduated from Jackson State University with her entire goal to teach the future. She did go back and acquire other degrees including a Masters. As an instructor, she was celebrated and decorated as a prized instructor. Her passion and dedication were without a doubt always consistent. She never faltered and never lost hope in a single student.
She taught in Alabama and Texas before teaching in Florida. She took a hiatus from teaching to help the community through Goodwill in helping better people’s lives by helping them find jobs, build resumes, get grants, and more. She returned to teaching in Hernando School District starting at Parrot Middle School, Explorer, and then worked as an ESE instructor, and finally at Nature Coast as a biology teacher. She took a 3-year hiatus from Hernando County School District to work at BEST Academy, headed by Mr. Buford, a man she adored and respected for his genuine love of community and children. She brought the same passion there that she took to working in her famous SHE-SHED and taught virtually across many states through ElevateK12.
Sheila enjoyed creating YouTube videos, collecting fountain pens, guns, Harleys, jet skis, Jeeps, technology, her Tesla, bringing pizza to my job for the entire crew, giving guidance, puppies, tigers, memes, politics, and the list goes on.
Her favorite passions were her parents; Puerto Rican food, especially my Mom’s pollo guisado and bistec; her BFF “Pookie”(Thank you Nicole); being appreciated by my co-workers(Thank you 1383); Rocky and Rambo; and I think she kind of liked me (Thank you Sheila).
She is now reunited with her Dad (receive her as I know you will. I am not sure she truly got over missing you), Sheba, Mollie, and all her other pets. Oh yeah Dad, make sure you give her ‘Georgie’.
