EASTPORT – Sheila Ann Rutherford died June 25, 2006, in Ann Arbor, Mich. She was born Jan. 21, 1914, in Eastport, to Bernard Michael and Mabel Helene (Raye) Rutherford. Sheila graduated from Shead Memorial High School, Eastport in 1931, and completed two years of college at Washington State Normal School in Machias. Sheila also studied at the Grand Central School of Art, directed by George Pearse Ennis, more widely known as the Eastport Summer School of Art. She continued to study and paint throughout her life, and her seascape watercolors are prized possessions for many Mainers and other collectors of Maine art. Her eye for color and form also made her a wondrous gardener, and her floral arrangements were as vibrant and artful as her gardens. She was a founding member of the Eastport Literary Round Table, still in existence today, a lifelong fan of the Boston Red Sox – and, above all, a woman devoted to and loved deeply by her family and friends. For most of her life, Sheila worked as a bookkeeper, retiring from the John Williams Boat Co. in Hall Quarry. Although she had lived on Mount Desert Island since 1959 and in Southwest Harbor for the past 25 years, Eastport remained the home of her heart. When she said, “Down home…,” she meant Eastport, as all who knew her understood. For Sheila, there was never anyplace as beautiful or as loved as Eastport. She grew up there and, throughout her life, her closest friends were those from her childhood. From that circle, she is survived by Margaret (Peg Kelly) Vuch of Jacksonville, Florida; and her cousin, Ruth (Davis) Moore of Algiers, La. She was predeceased by her parents and her sister, Eleanor Mary (Rutherford) Talbot. Surviving family includes, one nephew, John Talbot and wife, Janet, of Ann Arbor; two nieces, Sarah Talbot of Eastport and Ann Arbor, Mich. and Mary (Talbot) Deis and husband, David, of Chelsea, Mich.; first cousins, Helene (Bishop) Camick of Port Richey, Florida and Marion (Bishop) Psoinos of Lowell, Mass., and many more beloved cousins. Also surviving are four great-nephews, David Mortellaro and wife, Lynne, of White Lake, Mich., Christopher Talbot of Providence, R.I., David Deis and Michael Deis of Chelsea; six great-nieces, Elizabeth (Talbot) Kopko and husband, Kevin, of South Lyon, Mich., Maria (Mortellaro) Campbell of New Buffalo, Mich., Julia (Mortellaro) Trobaugh and husband, Michael, of Ann Arbor, Mich., Julie (Talbot) Williams and husband, Richard, of Santa Ana, Calif., Anna (Mortellaro) Arms and husband, John, of Ann Arbor, Mich., and Caitlin Deis of Chelsea; plus 12 great-great-nephews and nieces. Her nieces and nephews shared many wonderful Maine summers with Sheila. She anchored them to their heritage. Sheila contributed generously to many, many charities, was a devout Catholic, and had a great love for animals. She was a stalwart supporter of Catholic charities and the Humane Society. Visitation will be 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. Sunday, July 9, at Flagg’s Funeral Home, 72 High St., Eastport. A funeral mass will be conducted 10 a.m. Monday, July 10, at St. Joseph Catholic Church, with burial immediately thereafter at Hillside Cemetery. In her memory, her family suggests donations to St. Joseph Catholic Church, 51 Washington St., Eastport, ME 04631 or Paws Humane Society, 84 South St., Calais, ME.