Michael Sheehan is being remembered as a long-time high school principal in Sault Ste. Marie and a pillar of the local community, volunteering his time to many initiatives in his 92 years.
Michael died at the Algoma Residential Community Hospice (ARCH) on Monday after a diagnosis of prostate and bone cancer, said his son, MP Terry Sheehan by phone on Thursday.
A lifelong Catholic, Michael lived a life of faith by volunteering his time and helping the people he met along the way. Terry said he expects his father to be spending Christmas reunited with his departed loved ones in heaven
“We are sad but we are happy at the same time because he had really been preparing for this all of his life,” said Terry. “It was an experience that was made a lot better through the good work of the people up at ARCH so I have to give them a major kudos.”
Micheal was born and raised in Blind River, where he eventually went to seminary until meeting his wife, Linda. Michael switched his focus to becoming an educator.
After a teaching career, Michael went on to be principal at Alexander Henry High School, Lakeway Collegiate and Korah Collegiate before going on to be a superintendent for the public school board.
Terry recalled his father’s tales about his time at Lakeway Collegiate, a Wellington Street school that closed in 1987. It was later reopened as St. Mary’s High School and is now known as The Tech.
“Lakeway was a bit of a tough downtown school,” said Terry. “I remember he would tell a story when he went there he would get the attendance record in the morning and he would grab the vice-principal and jump in the car and go to the downtown arcades and pool halls, walk in there and he’d be like, ‘you, you and you — school.’”
Terry said as a principal his father believed every student deserved a chance.
”He tried so many different strategies to make sure his students remained in school and finished school and participated meaningfully,” said Terry. “He believed everybody was born equal.”
While principal at Alexander Henry, when it only offered Grade 9 and 10, Michael lobbied for the school to extend to Grade 12 so its students could graduate from it.
He also co-founded the city’s high school hockey program and lobbied for arts and technical classes.
“He understood that different people learned in different ways and he was able to pull that out of people,” said Terry. “Thousands of students played hockey and went on to get scholarships at colleges and universities across North America and it had a lot to do with my father recognizing there was a need for sports through the school board. Not everyone could afford to play, it was about affordability.”
While Michael worked for the Sault Ste. Marie Public School Board as a teacher, principal and superintendent, he also served as a trustee and chair of the Sault Ste. Marie Catholic School Board.
The apple didn’t fall far from the tree. Terry noted four of his sisters are involved in education.
“Colleen is principal at St. Mary’s high school, Kathy just retired as superintendent of the London school board, Erin is a social worker for the Peterborough school board and Michaela is a vice-principal here in Sault Ste. Marie,” said Terry.
“He was a great role model and I think those continuous conversations about education around the dinner table or during holidays obviously were very influential on his family and we all looked to him for guidance,” he added.
Outside of school, Michael was a long-time member of St. Jerome’s Parish and volunteered with the Knights of Columbus at the local and provincial levels.
With the Knights of Columbus, Michael worked with local business leaders like Dr. Lou Lukenda in creating affordable housing through the Columbus Club Housing Corporation and founded the Ontario Catholic Youth Leadership Camp.
“He reached so many people to provide opportunities and he was humble about it. He never bragged,” said Terry of his father’s volunteer efforts.
“During his tenure with the Knights of Columbus on the provincial board he had the opportunity to meet Pope John Paul II and shake his hand with my mom, that was a very touching moment for my father to meet the pope and to have that opportunity,” said Terry.
For many years Michael and Linda organized the local Boxing Day Fun Family Curling Bonspiel.
“It was fun for the whole family and introduced a lot of people of all ages to curling,” said Terry.
In his current role as member of parliament for Sault Ste. Marie and city councillor before that, Terry said he has met many people over the years who told him what an impact his father had on them as students.
“He instilled a lot of pride and that was really important to him, to make sure people were proud of who they were and what they studied,” said Terry. “He created families wherever he went and that was a part of a successful strategy. He touched so many.”
“When I am out in the community I meet so many people who tell me, ‘your dad was my principal and made a world of difference for me,’” he added.