06/14/2026
Words are woefully inadequate to express the sorrow we feel at the passing of our former shelter manager, Sheila Crockett, and we extend our heartfelt sympathy to her beloved husband, Rodger, and her family for their loss.
Sheila was with SPCA Eastern Shore for 17 years, beginning her association with the shelter as a staff member. She was with us in 2005, helping accomplish our transition from being the housing facility for Animal Control to becoming a private no-kill, non-profit, limited-intake facility. The position she held for most of her time with us was that of shelter manager, and in that capacity Sheila became the heart and soul of our organization, managing the day-to-day operation of the shelter and making sure that we lived up to the organization’s pledge to “provide lots of love, food, shelter, and medical care for cats and dogs on the Eastern Shore as we search to find them adoptive homes.”
It was Sheila who developed a successful partnership with the Virginia Beach SPCA to bring their Neuter Scooter to the Shore on a regular basis to provide low cost spay-neuter surgeries for the pets of Shore residents. That program continues today and is a significant part of the legacy that she leaves us from her career with the shelter.
Sheila viewed her position as shelter manager as that of a public servant, and she had a gift for dealing with the public. Over the years, we often heard feedback from shelter visitors about how well they had been treated by Sheila.
Her love for and devotion to our shelter animals seemed to know no bounds. Many was the time that Sheila went “above and beyond.” Although no one was on duty at the facility overnight, if an animal needed 24-hour care, Sheila would take it home with her when she left at the end of the day. If the weather forecast indicated that snow, a hurricane, or some other extreme weather condition might make it impossible for staff to get to work on time the next day, Sheila would spend the night at the shelter to make sure that the animals were fed and cared for on their regular schedule.
The collage below shows our colleague and friend as we’ll remember her. Rest in peace, Sheila.
