Sheila Ann Keyzer

“Kindness was her craft.”

Sheila Johnson, born in Rockford, IL, to Bea & Wynsel Johnson, passed away at the age of 88. Sheila lived a life woven with love, creativity, and compassion.

She graduated from East Rockford High School in 1955, and 2 years later, married Richard Karl Keyzer, on August 31, 1957. Together, they built a home and a legacy carried on by their children: Craig, Kash, Keith and Cynthia. Sheila also leaves behind her granddaughters, Renee, Cassandra and Lauren. Sheila and Rick were blessed with 6 great-grandchildren.

Sheila dedicated most of her life as a loving wife, mother, and homemaker. From 1959 to 2025, she poured herself into raising her children, enriching communities, and embodying the kind of generosity that changed lives. If you were lucky enough to receive her famous snickerdoodles or a handcrafted wreath, you knew how deeply she cared. Even those who never met her could feel her warmth receiving one of her gift bags donated to local charities.

Sheila’s heart was open to everyone. Whether she was helping at church, charities or donating crafts to women’s shelters, she never sought attention, just connection. She had a way of turning kindness into an art form, leaving a trail of beauty and comfort wherever she went.

Sheila also loved her shoes, often starting conversations with strangers who admired them. But it was her grace that stayed with people. Sheila didn’t love traveling, but she would do it anyway, making memories and joy wherever she landed. Her true journey, though, was in the ways she quietly nurtured the world around her - with thoughtful notes, speeches, gifts, and a spirit that made you feel at home.

To speak about her is to speak about kindness. And yet, even now, words seem too small for the enormous warmth and grace she carried every day.