With strong encouragement from her mentors who taught her at St. Mary's Academy, Sheila entered teacher's college following graduation in 1958.

After completing her studies and practical assignments, her first teaching assignment was with a class of 56 children in grades two and three at a small parochial Catholic school named St. Gerard in the East Kildonan area of Winnipeg. She earned a modest $1,300 that year — or about $30 per week.

From there she moved to St. Jean Brebeuf School before teaching in Manitoba's public school system. Coincidentally, one of her high school peers is now the principal at St. Jean Brebeuf.

It wasn't long before she was recruited to the school board in St. James where she taught in the Golden Gate School, Tuxedo Park School and Laidlaw School. It was in this community that she educated the children of some of Winnipeg's most established and influential families.

After six years her formal teaching career was temporarily interrupted when she met, fell in love with and married the young Mathematics scholar from the University of Manitoba — Robert Williams.

They started their own family in Winnipeg when in 1965 the couple was blessed with their first child — Charles Patrick Williams.

In 1967 Sheila's second son — Donald Robert Paul — was born.