Rose M. Sheltra

Rose M. Sheltra, 68, died Friday, October 7, 2005 at Maine Medical Center in Portland after a brief battle with cancer.Rose was born in Sanford on August 16, 1937 to Adrien and Lea Gagnon Lessard; she was a life long resident of Sanford and Springvale. Rose was a 1956 graduate of Sanford High School. While attending high school she worked after classes at Saul Shalit Pharmacy. Following her employment at the pharmacy, she worked for 6 years at New England Tel & Tel in the Sanford Office as an operator, at this time the telephone system changed to the dial system.Rose married her husband of 47 years, Reggie Sheltra in 1958. During their marriage, they adopted two children, a son named Brian and a daughter named Nicole. Brian and his wife Karen have given Rose 3 blessed grandchildren, Alex, Kathleen and Westley. Rose's daughter Nicole, blessed her with two grandchildren, Lea, named after Rose's mother and Neil. After her children grew old enough to start school, Rose went to hairdressing school in Portland. She started her own shop in her home and after some time, began to do hair in the Mainstay Nursing Home and Sanford Health Care. She did this for 9 years then she obtained a position with Sprague Electric and continued with that employment for 12 years. She retired in 1998 then wintered, with her spouse in Florida and Arizona. Her hobbies included weaving, playing water volleyball, tennis and stained glass.She is survived by her husband, Reggie Sheltra; her son Brian of North Berwick, ME; her daughter Nicole Nolette of Peru, ME; her brothers Albert and Robert Lessard of Sanford, ME and five grandchildren.A memorial service will be held at Notre Dame Church in Springvale on Wednesday, October 12, 2005 at 11:00 A.M. with interment following at St. Ignatius Cemetery in Sanford. Arrangements are through Lafrance-Lambert & Black Funeral Home in Sanford. To leave a message of condolence online, please visit www.blackfuneralhomes.com.