Shirley Sands of Montreal Quebec, passed away peacefully on January 29, 2026 at the CHSLD Lachine with family at her side.   She was born in Jackman, Maine on September 15, 1925 to parents Harry Alexander Sands and Edna Mildred Sands (Peterson).

 

Mom will be missed by her four children:  Bill Neilson Hamilton (Karen) of Fredericton, N.B., Arthur Peterson Sands Hamilton (Andrea) of Montreal, Elizabeth Anne Hamilton of Kingston, Ontario and Boyd Sands Hamilton (Kathyrn) of Montreal, and grandchildren Lindsay, Katherine, Robyn, Ryan, Amelia and Katelyn, and Great Grandchildren Nora, Jones, Elliot, Ava, Stevie and Oliver.

 

Shirley attended Moose River Elementary and Jackman High in Jackman Maine before heading south to try her hand at nursing in the Portland and Boston areas.  She then found her true calling in teaching and graduated from Farmington State Teacher’s College in 1948. She taught in Wrentham Mass until 1951 when she and her husband Bill, moved to NDG in Montreal.   In addition to raising her four children, she combined her nursing and love of helping others by working at Cote de Neige School for the Deaf, Pierrefonds Manor, and Westmount Manor.  She closed her working career in 2004, at the age of 79 after a fifteen-year stint at Elizabeth Ballantyne School in Montreal West.  During the late 1970’s Shirley surprised everyone by going back to school, and in 1982 obtained her Degree in Special Education from McGill University.  She especially enjoyed working with handicap children, especially those with Downs Syndrome.   Her legacy was her love of helping others, especially children, and her preference to give rather than receive.   While much of her life was spent living in Montreal, she never forgot her roots in her beloved Jackman.

 

Shirley was predeceased by her parents, her ex-husband Bill Hamilton SR, her brother Harry Malcomb Sands and numerous aunts, uncles on both the Sands and Hamilton side of the family, and many friends in both Canada and the USA.

 

In keeping with Moms wishes, there will be no visitation.   A memorial gathering will be held a future date at the Montreal West United Church. Internment will take place at the Whipple Cemetery in Jackman Maine at a later date.

 

The Family would like to extend a most heartful thank you to the staff at the Centre d’Hébergement de Lachine for the wonderful care and compassion provided during her convalescence and final days.  Merci a tout.

 

Those wishing to make a donation in Shirley’s memory might consider the Jackman Historical Society or the Mackay Center School in Montreal or the charity of your choice.  Alternatively, and as Mom would say “Just do something nice for someone.”