Shelagh Laurie Paulsson (née Hetherington)

Our family are celebrating the life of Shelagh Paulsson who passed away peacefully in hospital on June 12, 2025.

Shelagh was born in Quyon, Quebec where she spent the first two years of her life. Her family then moved to Sudbury, Ontario and lived there until moving to their new home in Hull, Quebec in 1959.

After attending Hull Elementary School for her primary grades, Shelagh enjoyed her high school years at Aylmer High School and then attended Carleton University. After Carleton, Shelagh moved to Toronto where she lived until returning to Hull to live with her sister, Jo and late brother-in-law, Ron.

Shelagh and Jo lived together for almost 25 years. They supported each other, laughed together, cried together and, like most maternal sisters, also had their fair share of lively disagreements. But at the core of their hearts, they loved each other and always only wanted the best for one another.

Shelagh spent the last few months of her life living at Cumberland Lodge. She often told family about how comfortable she felt there. This was evident when we visited Cumberland Lodge and heard stories from staff and residents about how much they loved Shelagh, how fun she was to talk with and how she always made everyone she met there feel comfortable and welcome.

Shelagh was an accomplished bridge player having represented Canada at many World Bridge Federation tournaments and also at the World Bridge Olympiad in Istanbul in 2004. She also had a passion for reading medieval fiction novels and consistently added to her lifelong collection.

Shelagh leaves behind a loving family which she cherished. She enjoyed family get togethers and specifically loved watching her nieces, nephews and all their children play and grow together.

Shelagh is predeceased by her mother and father, Margaret & Melville Hetherington and her sister, Ray Peterson. She is survived by her sister, Jo Webb and brother-in-law, Dick Peterson. Shelagh will also be fondly remembered by her cousin, Mary (Doug) Brown and her nieces and nephews, Rob (Kathy) Webb, Christine Hartley (Kalvin Mercer), Kendall (Paul) Brenton, David Peterson (Nikki MacFarlane), Heather (Greg) Dalling and John (Christiane) Peterson. She was also blessed to have many great-nieces and nephews and 5 great-great-nieces/nephew who loved her dearly.

A Celebration of Shelagh’s Life will be held on Saturday, July 12, 2025 at 10:30 am at Glen Cairn United Church, followed by a reception in the church hall. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Cumberland Lodge Retirement Community.