Sheila A. Hellstrom

 
Sheila Anne Hellstrom (January 15, 1935 – December 7, 2020) was a Canadian Forces officer who became the first woman in the regular force to achieve the rank of brigadier-general in 1987, as well as being the first woman to graduate from Canadian Forces College.
Early life and education.
Hellstrom was born in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia in 1935. Her father was Albinus Hellstrom, and her mother, Dorothy Hellstrom née Zinck. She was baptized in Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church (ref. Pastor Rick Price Zion Church records) and attended Lunenburg County Academy, graduating in 1953. Hellstrom received her entire schooling at the Academy and during most of the years, led her classes. In an interview with "Esprit de Corps" magazine, she said that she became interested in the military after hearing stories told by Norwegian sailors who visited the family home from Camp Norway during WW2. Years later, in 1954, when she was 19 years of age, Hellstrom enrolled in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) University Reserve Training Plan.. In 1956, she graduated from Mount Allison University with a bachelor of science (B.Sc.), majoring in Biology with a minor in Chemistry. For a two year period, from 1987 to 1989, Hellstrom became chair of the Committee on Women in the NATO Forces. Throughout her career, Hellstrom worked for the recruitment and integration of women into the Canadian Forces. 
Awards: 
Retirement.
In 1990 Hellstrom retired from the regular forces and transferred to the supplementary reserve. She lived in Ottawa and continued to work with the military, as a consultant on gender integration. She served as a chair of the Board of Governors of the Ottawa Division Canadian Corps of Commissionaires and worked as a member of the Ottawa Police Services Board as an advisor on women in police services, race relations, and employment equity. She also worked with the minister of national defense's monitoring committee on change within the Department of National Defense and the Canadian Forces, restructuring of the Land Force Reserve, Canadian Forces professional development, education and leadership (refer to her awards above). She was an active member of the Canadian Nordic Society, and was a hockey and opera fan, attending many live operas in Europe, the United States and Canada. On Saturday December 5, 2000 from 1:00 pm until 5:00 pm, shortly before she passed away in her Ottawa home, Hellstrom listened to a four-hour presentation on CBC of the opera "War and Peace." (ref. email Hellstrom to Barkhouse received December 5, 2000 at 6:21 pm). On December 7, 2020, Hellstrom passed away in Ottawa. Her burial will take place in Beechwood Cemetery, Ottawa.