Shirley Eikhard Obituary, Death – Shirley Rose Eikhard passed away without any pain or suffering on Thursday, December 15, 2022 at the Headwaters Health Care Centre in Orangeville as a result of cancer-related complications. She had just celebrated her 67th birthday a short while ago. Lola Catherine Osborne, a kind and kind person who was Shirley’s soul mate and the love of her life, passed away before Shirley. Shirley had a lot of admirers, and a number of her closest friends feel really blessed to have been able to spend the last few days with her. Shirley was a very beloved person. Shirley was born in Sackville, New Brunswick, but when she was 8 years old, her family relocated to Ontario. On a purely professional basis, Shirley possessed a remarkable amount of talent.
She received Juno awards in 1973 and 1974 for best country female artist, and she has had a number of singles, including “You’re My Weakness,” “It Takes Time,” and “Smilin’ Wine.” In addition, she won the award for best country female artist in both of those years. Cher, Anne Murray, Chet Atkins, Ginette Reno, Alannah Myles, and Rita Coolidge are just a few of the artists that have recorded one of her tunes. She is probably best known for penning the song “Something to Talk About,” which was popularized by Bonnie Raitt’s recording of it and went on to become a smash success. Because of this song, Shirley was honored with induction into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in the year 2020.
She provided entertainment for members of the Canadian Armed Forces stationed in the Arctic and elsewhere. She wrote two scores for George F. Walker, a writer from Toronto, and one of those scores was nominated for a Dora Mavor Moore award for sound design. Shirley is responsible for producing and developing multiple albums, in addition to writing over 500 songs. She is the ultimate musician and has taught herself to play a wide variety of instruments, including guitar, piano, bass, drums, percussion, chromatic harmonica, saxophone, banjo, and mandolin, to a level of proficiency that is comparable to that of a professional.
Shirley was a very humble woman, in spite of all of her achievements, and despite the fact that she possessed a great deal of talent, the reasons that those around her loved her so profoundly – and the reason that we are heartbroken today – were not connected to her gifts. They were tied to who she was as a person: as with all wise people, she was generous; as with all wise people, she was kind; and as with all wise people, she did not put her own trials at the forefront of her mind. She maintained an upbeat attitude in spite of the challenges that life presented her with, and the positivity that she exuded was infectious.
Shirley was a singer, composer, and pianist extraordinaire. In addition to these talents, she had a passion for painting, was an animal lover (friend of the feral), and was quite appreciative for her “earth angels.” She was also an environmental crusader, and a caring friend. She was extremely well-read on a wide range of topics and possessed a wicked sense of humor in addition to these qualities. Our Shirley was an endearingly peculiar pioneer woman; anybody who met her felt the gravitational pull of her unyielding personality, and she was cherished by a great number of people. Shirley was a pioneer. Shirley’s favorite things included Christmas trees (six each year), her Starbucks, driving her truck to the dump, feeding all of the wildlife around her property in the country, kayaking, and walking… “oh, that’s Shirl.”
A few of us are going to be haunted forever by the image of Shirl’s figure striding along the roadway. Shirley approached everything on her own terms, including coping with her sickness, and she was successful in all of her endeavors. Shirley was always thankful for the opportunity to live her life, regardless of the numerous ups and downs that she had to endure. She would express her gratitude to the heavens by extending her arms to the sky and bowing her head. She continued doing this up until the very end of her life.
We would like to express our gratitude to Dr. Canduso, Shirley’s palliative care physician, as well as the amazing and compassionate personnel at Headwaters, who made Shirley’s final days as comfortable and secure as possible. Shirley’s other health care professionals, including Dr. Raskin and staff, William Osler, and Dr. Conrad and staff at Southlake, who helped guide her through treatment and supported her throughout her journey of living with cancer are also deserving of our thanks.
We would like to express our gratitude to all of them. Shirley would have preferred that any remembrances of her be provided in the form of financial contributions to the Cancer Centre at Headwaters Health Care Centre or to any one of a number of animal care organisations or shelters rather than the traditional gesture of sending flowers. Dearest Shirley, we simply hadn’t had enough time to get to know you.