Sheila Blackley

Sheila Geneva Blackley, 70, of Orange Park, gracefully passed away on May 24, 2024 in Jacksonville, Florida.
Born in Hampton,Virginia on October 17, 1953 Sheila Blackley spent her childhood surrounded by her five brothers before being blessed later in life with three sisters. Sheila was a spitfire and a force to be reckoned with. There was no task she deemed too daunting and no obstacle that couldn’t be handled; due to this she was always learning new skills. Sheila’s biggest dream was to travel the world, a desire helped fanned by her husband Clifton.
Sheila and Clifton grew up together, and overtime knew they were the one for each other. This inseparable duo worked hard to help each other advance both in their academic and career paths;Clifton joined the military Navy and Sheila graduated from Thomas Nelson Community College with a Bachelors in Secretarial Science and attended a college on the Hawaii island of Kauai. After college Sheila became a Civil Service worker where she dedicated time towards helping others until her retirement in 2022.
Sheila’s dedication to community work began when the Blackley family were deployed to Hawaii where she joined the Navy Wives Club of America, NWCA, where she remained an active member for several years. Friends and members of the organization remembered Sheila’s contagious smile, upbeat personality, thriftiness, and dedication to the NWCA.When Clifton was transferred to Bermuda, Sheila jumped right in and joined NWCA Bermuda #267. In 1988, at the NWCA Eastern Region Convention in Newport, RI, Sheila was recognized as the “blue light special lady” because she always found the best deals at the local Kmart.
Sheila presented and won a bid to have the Eastern Region Convention to be held in Bermuda. She became the host for the 1989 convention and had the opportunity to work and communicate with various people and figures. Sheila also had the opportunity to invite the former First Lady Nancy Regan and formal Rear Admiral Craig Quigley alongside Queen Elizabeth and Princess Diana. At the 1989 National Convention, Sheila was appointed as the “Goodwill Ambassador to the Atlantic”. As the Goodwill Ambassador to the Atlantic, Sheila was responsible for keeping in contact with all the overseas clubs and providing the appropriate resources to help keep the clubs in action.
Clifton was later transferred to London where Sheila was instrumental in getting an NWCA club started. When Clifton retired from the military in 1993, they settled in Orange Park, Florida. Sheila was an inspiration to many and loved by many.
Preceding Sheila in death were her loving parents Geneva Lane and Merrill Pounds, and her sister Mary Pounds. Left to cherish her memory are her loving husband Clifton Blackley of Orange Park, FL; her two sons Jermaine Blackey of Orange Park, FL and Jervon Blackley of Orange Park, FL; her five brothers Clarence Lane of Hampton, VA, Ernest Pounds (Shirley) of Hampton, VA, Steven Pounds of Hampton, VA, and Johnny Pounds (Mavis) of Richmond, VA; her two sisters Sandra Pounds-Gray (James) of Round Rock, Texas and Linda Pounds-Adams (Kevin) of Cedar Park, Texas; and her six grandchildren Alejandra Blackley of Orange Park, FL, Jachquin Blackley (Lauren) of Orange Park, FL, Aniceia Blackley of Orange Park, FL, Mya

 Blackley of Orange Park, FL, Jabari Blackley of Orange Park, FL, and Jiovanni Blackley of Orange Park, FL.

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