Obituary of Iris Shea Sparrow

Iris (Shea) Sparrow, 60 Glace Bay It is with deep sadness that we announce the death of our mother Iris Shea Sparrow, 60, of Glace Bay who passed away Tuesday April 6, 2021 at the Cape Breton Regional Hospital in Sydney, Nova Scotia. Born in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia she was the daughter of the late Cleo and Thomas Shea. Known by all throughout her life as a kind and generous soul, Iris would always welcome everyone warmly into our home and treat them like family. This was especially true of all the many friends we had growing up who looked at our house as their second home because of the warmth she offered everyone. Iris valued family deeply above all else. She was immensely proud of her roots coming from the #2 area of Glace Bay and she spent a lot of her free time researching her Shea family tree, staying in touch with even distant relatives as much as she could. She adored her brothers Jerry Shea and Tom (Ambrose) Shea and valued her close relationship with them dearly. Growing up as two boys into skateboarding and playing loud music in bands, our mother would not just put up with the racket we would make - she loved it. She was constantly there with the video camera proudly documenting everything and we are eternally grateful to her for capturing those precious memories. You would not meet a bigger animal lover in your life. Our house was always filled with pets and she contributed all throughout her life to the SPCA and other animal related causes. Her favourite hobbies included taking in all the world class music and live entertainment that Cape Breton has to offer which brought her great joy, learning about local history, and taking photographs around the island to share with friends and family. Iris also was fortunate to travel quite a bit in her life with our father and in recent years made incredibly special friendships in Cuba that were dear to her heart. Our mother was sadly not without struggles in life and particularly her final years, but our family is blessed by a lifetime of beautiful memories to cherish and are at ease knowing she is at rest peacefully now. Iris is survived by her husband of 42 years, Kelly Sparrow, her sons Mark and Danny Sparrow, her brothers and sister, and her mother-in-law Loretta Sparrow. A Catholic burial ceremony will be held with immediate family members and as per her wishes a visitation or funeral ceremony will not be held at this time. In lieu of flowers a memorial donation may be made to Nova Scotia SPCA Cape Breton Shelter.