December 23, 1949 - August 02, 2021
On August 2nd, Sheila Carrasco, 71, of Loveland, Colorado, passed away peacefully in the arms of her loving husband John Grogan. The previous four years, Sheila had been waging a courageous battle against a devastating stroke that left her partially paralyzed and unable to sustain her lifelong passion as an artist.
Sheila was the oldest of five children born to Pete Carrasco and Doris Carrasco Akin in Kansas City, MO. Her parents preceded her in death along with her younger sister Shari Severeid. Sheila is survived by her brother, Robert Carrasco (Leavenworth, KS) and sisters, Debi Moore (Independence, MO) and Sharon Wernlund (Palm City, FL), several nieces and nephews, and her husband, John.
Sheila's talent as an accomplished artist started shining at an early age with childhood drawings and clay figures. Her reputation soared in her teens and by her senior year she was chosen to design the cover of her high school yearbook.
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Missouri became her favorite haunt and whenever she got the chance, would take family and friends to introduce them to the classics.
In her later years, Sheila was a well-known sculptor in Loveland, where she worked tirelessly to cast her creations at local foundries. Her sculpture was on display at many of the early Loveland “Sculpture in the Park” venues. Sheila’s bio from the 1990 “Sculpture in the Park” catalogue reads:
I was born in what was originally a “cow town” in the midwest.
Oddly enough, it had a great deal of outdoor bronze and a remarkable art gallery. That legacy has seemed to mold me as an
artist and I suppose as a person. Transforming a work from the initial clay model into the final bronze work is what draws me to the medium.
While living in Blacksburg, Virginia in the late ’80’s and early 90’s, Sheila was commissioned by a local business owner to install a life-size modern bronze in front of his restaurant on Main Street. The piece, entitled “Open Secret”, remains a downtown gem.
One of Sheila’s proudest accomplishments took her to St. Petersburg, Russia in 1996 with an invitation to host her own gallery show of paintings and sculpture. In preparation for her trip, Sheila eagerly learned Russian so she could communicate with other art enthusiasts.
In 2000, Sheila was commissioned by Denver University to sculpt portrait busts of Claude, Charles and Charles II Boettcher. The busts commemorate the philanthropic generosity of the Boettcher family to the university and the Denver community at large. The bronze installation is located on the Denver University campus in the Boettcher Center Courtyard.
Sheila’s sculptures and paintings were her pride and joy until the stroke left her immobile and unable to create again. Frustrated and heartbroken over the loss, Sheila fought valiantly through the hard work of rehabilitation, ever hopeful that the physical therapy would eventually restore her mobility and artistic expression.
And though that was never to be on this earth, Sheila is now finally released, free and without question, casting her Spirit in the studio of Creation.
The family would like to extend a heartfelt “Thank you” to the McKee Medical Center staff who provided Sheila remarkable compassion and palliative care in her last week in the ICU. Lastly, the family is so appreciative of the lifesaving care InnovAge of Loveland provided Sheila and John these past 4 years, a true godsend of support.
A “Celebration of Life” gathering will be announced soon.
