Obituary of Shelley Dawn Ryan

RYAN (Miller), Shelley Dawn - 40, of Oakfield "There are two ways to live your life. One is though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." Albert Einstein. It is with heavy hearts that we announce that our own 'Miracle Girl' passed away at the QEII on April 24th, 2013. Shelley was honoured to be the recipient of a heart transplant 17 years ago. This miracle medical procedure extended her life by almost two decades and Shelley did not waste a day of this precious gift. She was a passionate advocate for organ donation and spokesperson for the Working Miracles Campaign for the QEII Health Science Centre Foundation. She obtained her Masters Degree in Adult Education and taught in Atlanta Georgia. She later worked at Maritime Business Academy, the Insurance Brokers Association of NS, and most recently with her husband at Cores Worldwide. She married her husband Andrew, her 'Soul Matey' and together they were loving, fun and active parents to their daughter Leah - who will every day feel the legacy of Shelley's pride and love. The health challenges that Shelley faced allowed her to savour and appreciate the gift of an ordinary day, something that many of us take for granted - sitting by the water, going to a concert, cooking dinner with family, taking a sailing vacation with friends or strolling with her dog. Shelley was blessed with a large circle of loyal friends who benefited from her intelligence, sense of humour, quick wit and her dynamic character. Shelley was born in Truro, and was the daughter of Brian Miller (Sandra) and Marilyn (Teed) Miller and Doug Benjamin both of Shubenacadie. She was extremely close to and is also survived by her ukulele-playing maternal grandmother Eleanor (GG) Teed who was always a pillar of support. She is also survived by brother Jeff and his wife Marcie (Erika, Calvin, Duncan and Evelyn) of Ottawa, Ontario, and her sister Rhonda Cherneski and her husband Terry (Mikayla and Shae-Lynn) of Dauphin, Manitoba, and step-grandmother Muriel Miller. Shelley had a large and very supportive extended family. She will greatly missed by Aunt Brenda (Teed) and Wade Morrisey, Aunt Norma (Teed) and Kendall Purdy, Aunt Gail (Miller) and Graham Garroway, her step-siblings Pam Wallace-Smith, Paul Wallace (& Meredith), her cousins Meghan, Andrew, Lauren, Aaron, Diana, Kevin, Autumn, Keigan, Jessica, Lynden, Cheryl and Roger, her loving mother-in-law Nancy Ryan (the late George Ryan) and sister-in-law Stephanie Ryan and Jim Jardine. Shelley was predeceased by her paternal grandparents Stanley and Millie Miller, Uncle Freddie Miller, Aunt Karen Freeman (Miller) and maternal grandfather Russell Teed, as well as her sidekick and "Pooper Dog" Farley. Shelley would want to give a big shout out to her extremely dedicated transplant team that she trusted implicitly, especially her girl Kate. You do important work, thank you for your dedication. Special thanks and appreciation to friends and neighbours on Parkview and the community who consistently offer support and love whenever needed.Cremation will occur. Funeral services are under the care of Ettinger Funeral Home 2812 Highway 2, Shubenacadie. Visitation will be on Saturday April 27 from 6-8pm, with a service Sunday April 28 at 2pm, both at Ettinger Funeral Home. A reception will follow the Sunday service at the Enfield Legion, 50 Old Enfield Road. Interment will occur at a later date. Donations may be made to The Organ Transplantation Fund (T070) at www.qe2foundation.ca. Please quote Fund # T070 in the "Additional Information" box The best remembrance of Shelley would be to please sign your organ donor card, hug your loved ones, and enjoy the gift of an ordinary day. This is National Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Week.