Sheila Anne Hellstrom (January 15, 1935 – December 7, 2020) was a

Canadian Forces The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; , FAC) are the unified Military, military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air commands referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force. Under the ''National Defenc ...

officer who became the first woman in the

regular force In the Canadian Armed Forces, a Regular Force unit or person is part of the full-time military, as opposed to being part of the Primary Reserve which has more flexibility. There are many bases and wings across Canada, and factors like trade, caree ...

to achieve the rank of brigadier-general in 1987, as well as being the first woman to graduate from

Canadian Forces College The Canadian Forces College (CFC) is a military staff college for senior and general officers of the Canadian Armed Forces. It provides graduate-level military education courses designed to develop leadership abilities within the Canadian Forces ...

Early life and education

Hellstrom was born in

Lunenburg, Nova Scotia Lunenburg () is a port town on the South Shore (Nova Scotia), South Shore of Nova Scotia, Canada. Founded in 1753, the town was one of the first British attempts to settle Protestants in Nova Scotia. Historically, Lunenburg's economy relied o ...

in 1935. Her father was Albinus Hellstrom, and her mother was Dorothy Hellstrom née Zinck. She was baptized in Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church (ref. Pastor Rick Pryce Zion Church records) and attended Lunenburg County Academy, graduating in 1953. Hellstrom received her entire schooling at the Academy and during most of the years, led her classes. In an interview with ''

Esprit de Corps Morale ( , ) is the capacity of a group's members to maintain belief in an institution or goal, particularly in the face of opposition or hardship. Morale is often referenced by authority figures as a generic value judgment of the willpower ...

'' magazine, she said that she became interested in the military after hearing stories told by Norwegian sailors who visited the family home from Camp Norway during WW2. Years later, in 1954, when she was 19 years of age, Hellstrom enrolled in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) University Reserve Training Plan. In 1956, she graduated from

Mount Allison University Mount Allison University (also Mount A or MtA) is a Canadian primarily undergraduate liberal arts university located in Sackville, New Brunswick, founded in 1839. Mount Allison was the first university in the British Empire to award a baccal ...

with a bachelor of science (B.Sc.), majoring in Biology with a minor in Chemistry.

Military career

After graduating, she was promoted to

flying officer Flying officer (Fg Offr or F/O) is a junior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Flying officer is immediately ...

and served as a station services officer in

RCAF Station Gimli RCAF Station Gimli was an air station of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) located near Gimli, Manitoba, Canada. World War II (1943–1945) On September 6, 1943, the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan established No. 18 Service Flying Tra ...

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

. In 1962, she was promoted to flight lieutenant. Hellstrom had a number of postings between 1959 and 1969, serving as a personnel administrations officer in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, St. Hubert, North Bay, and

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

. From 1973 to 1974, she attended the Canadian Forces Staff College in Toronto. In 1976, Hellstrom was promoted to lieutenant colonel and worked as a delegate to the Committee on Women in the

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

forces. Promoted to

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

in 1983, she became the director of women personnel. When the

Department of National Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divided ...

's Charter Task Force attempted to challenge the equity provisions of the ''

Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms The ''Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms'' (), often simply referred to as the ''Charter'' in Canada, is a bill of rights entrenched in the Constitution of Canada, forming the first part of the '' Constitution Act, 1982''. The ''Char ...

'', Hellstrom was appointed in 1985 as the acting director-general conditions of service. In 1986, Hellstrom served as the advisor for the Administration Branch until posted to National Defence College Kingston. On January 27, 1987, Hellstorm was the first woman in the

to achieve the rank of brigadier-general, taking on the role of director-general for personnel. In March 1988, Hellstorm appeared as a guest on the

CBC CBC may refer to: Media * Cadena Baja California or Grupo Cadena, a radio and television broadcaster in Mexico * Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's radio and television public broadcaster ** CBC Television ** CBC Radio One ** CBC Music ** ...

gameshow ''

Front Page Challenge ''Front Page Challenge'' was a Canadian panel game about current events and history. Created by comedy writer/performer John Aylesworth (of the comedy team of Frank Peppiatt and John Aylesworth) and produced and aired by CBC Television, the s ...

''. For a two year period, from 1987 to 1989, Hellstrom was chair of the Committee on Women in the NATO Forces. Throughout her career, Hellstrom worked for the recruitment and integration of women into the Canadian Forces. Awards: * Canadian Forces Decoration, 2nd Clasp * Special Service Medal, NATO bar * Woman of the Year, Zonta Club of Charlottetown (1988) * Ottawa Police Services Board Community Service Award (1993) * Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal (2002) * Commissionaires Long Service Medal and Clasp (2011)

Honorary degree

Retirement

In 1990 Hellstrom retired from the regular forces and transferred to the supplementary reserve. She lived in Ottawa and continued to work with the military, as a consultant on gender integration. She served as a chair of the Board of Governors of the Ottawa Division

Canadian Corps of Commissionaires Commissionaires Canada is a Canadian security firm, originally established to provide employment to ex-servicemen. History Modeled after the British Corps of Commissionaires, the Canadian Corps was formed in 1925 with the opening of offices in M ...

and worked as a member of the Ottawa Police Services Board as an advisor on women in police services, race relations, and employment equity. She also worked with the

minister of national defense A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divided ...

's monitoring committee on change within the Department of National Defense and the Canadian Forces, restructuring of the Land Force Reserve, Canadian Forces professional development, education and leadership (refer to her awards above). She was an active member of the Canadian Nordic Society, and was a hockey and opera fan, attending many opera performances in Europe, the United States and Canada. On Saturday December 5, 2000 from 1:00 pm until 5:00 pm, shortly before she died in her Ottawa home, Hellstrom listened to a four-hour presentation on

of Prokoviev's opera ''

War and Peace ''War and Peace'' (; pre-reform Russian: ; ) is a literary work by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy. Set during the Napoleonic Wars, the work comprises both a fictional narrative and chapters in which Tolstoy discusses history and philosophy. An ...

.'' On December 7, 2020, Hellstrom died in Ottawa. Her burial took place in Beechwood Cemetery, Ottawa. email Bryan Brown to Barkhouse and Akerstrom, received Feb 9, 2021

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hellstrom, Sheila A. 1935 births 2020 deaths People from Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia Royal Canadian Air Force officers Canadian Forces Air Command generals Mount Allison University alumni Canadian female military personnel