Obituary of Sheila Denise Fleming Balter

Sheila Denise Fleming Balter September 25, 1955 to October 12, 2019 Sheila Denise Fleming entered the world during a late summer lightning storm. Her father was Richard Gordon Fleming (deceased, 2010) and her mother is Charlotte Marie Bostic Fleming, now residing in Tucson, Arizona. Sheila was born in Fairmont, West Virginia, but as a child of a corporate gypsy, lived from coast to coast. Her father retired as an executive with Mutual of Omaha. Charlotte was a graduate of West Virginia Business College and retired from the California Dairy Association. Sheila spent most of her high school years at Hurricane High School and maintained many valued friendships among former classmates. She was graduated from high school in Lansdowne, PA. Sheila attended Marshall College in Huntington, WV where she studied Nursing. First married to Stanley Balter in 1976, they lived on Long Island, NY and later in Orange County, CA. Stanley was employed in the aerospace industry, notably on the A-10 Warthog and the Saab 340. She traveled abroad with him to places such as Hong Kong, Singapore, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates. They lived in Sweden for more than a year. After Stanley's death, she moved to Tucson to be nearer to her parents. Once established in Tucson she met Dr. Anthony Victor Hewitt. They were married in 2010 and lived in Corona de Tucson. Born in England, Anthony earned a doctorate in astrophysics at the University of Oxford. While working at the Flagstaff Station of the US Naval Observatory, he took the discovery plate of Charon, satellite of Pluto. Leaving the field of astronomy for industry, he worked for GE in Virginia and Wisconsin, then back west to Hughes Missile Systems where he has been for twenty-five years. Sheila had a remarkable career, including being General Manager of a Ford dealership and running the Hertz night shift at LAX, but she found her true passion in showing dogs including Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Japanese Chins, and Tibetan Spaniels. Several became grand champions. In 2015, her dog Rory was the No. 1 Japanese Chin in the USA. She was instrumental in organizing dog shows such as the Japanese Chin National. She was active with dog rescue organizations, notably Japanese Chin Rescue. During disasters, she collected supplies and food for animal shelters. In addition to her mother and husband, Sheila is survived by; aunt, Oletha Gustus (William); cousins, Bill Gustus (Diane); daughter, Michaela (Richard) Gustus, Lisa Nazzaro (Thomas); daughters, Anna and Mari; uncle, Larry Bostic (Beverly); cousins, Connie Bernardini (Anthony), Brenda Ayon (Frank); children Courtney and Andrew David Bostic; children, Christopher, Cody, Isabella Salazar; eighteen dogs. Celebration of Life at St. Mark's Presbyterian Church, 3809 E. 3rd Street, Tucson at 4:00 p.m. November 16, 2019. Sheila's wish was to be interred beside her maternal grandmother in her beloved mountains in Quiet Dell, West Virginia. Donations for Japanese Chin Rescue are appreciated.