Hundreds of Northfield locals have paid tribute to a beloved lollipop lady who served their community for 25 years.
Devoted to the children of Northfield for decades, lollipop lady Sheila Rollo has died at the age of 86.
More than helping children cross the street, she tied shoes, closed up jackets and took children home if they were feeling ill or upset.
And the children Mrs Rollo helped cross, who are now grown-up, say she went above and beyond as a patroller outside Marchburn, Middlefield and Smithfield School.
Mrs Rollo was even nominated by the children of Marchburn for the Lollipop Person of the Year awards in 1983.
Aberdeen roots
Born on May 21, 1938, Sheila was the second child of Robert and Mary Howie.
Her brother, Robert, sadly passed away during infancy before Sheila was born.
Shortly after Sheila was born, her parents separated.
Her father, along with with her aunt and uncle, Georgina and Alexander Gill, brought Sheila up in a house on Cotton Street.
During her childhood she enjoyed touring Scotland with her dad on a tandem bicycle, and visiting family on a farm in Midmar, where her love for cycling and animals was shaped.
A fan of cycling, hillwalking and Scottish country dancing, she also attended Greyfriars Church and became a regular member of the congregation.
Later in life, she joined the British Legion Ladies darts team, becoming its captain.
Upon leaving school, she worked at Ogilvies in Shoe Lane, before going onto work at Stoneywood Paper Mills.
Sheila cleaned Greyfriars Church for 30 years and also worked as an office cleaner for Initial Service Cleaners.
Family life
In 1966, Sheila married Douglas Rollo.
She stopped working so she could look after his son Ivor.
The pair would then welcome their daughter Morag in 1967, followed by Fiona, born two years later.
Sheila always loved children.
So, when she spotted the role of school crossing patroller in 1978, she was quick to sign up.
Known by the children as ‘Mrs Rollo’, Sheila took great pride in her role as a school crossing patroller and always ensured the children were safe.
If a child hurt themselves or were upset, she would get them to stand with her until the end of the shift and she’d walk them home.
She was dedicated to keeping the children safe – and no-one escaped her watchful eye.
On one occasion, Mrs Rollo spotted a ‘suspicious’ looking car parked all day near to her crossing.
She went into school to raise the alarm and call the police.
It was later revealed, however, that it was the police themselves inside the vehicle!
In 1983, Marchburn pupils nominated her for the annual Lollipop Person of the Year awards.
Being the only Scottish finalist, she headed down to London.
Sheila made an appearance on the Russell Harty show with other finalists on Burns Day.
Asked how she was enjoying the adventure, she reported feeling really “homesick.”
Mrs Rollo hung up her lollipop hat in 2003.
In the years following, she greatly enjoyed spending time with her grandson Jasper.
When she separated from Douglas in 2005, Sheila moved into Granitehill House.
Here, she enjoyed the social aspect of all they had to offer, including organised bus runs, bingo and coffee mornings.
Sheila ‘loved’ Deeside and enjoyed going along with her daughter Morag to various towns when she delivered flowers for the florist Flower Vogue.
She also enjoyed short stays and visiting Fiona and her partner Stuart at Keig and watching the wildlife as they stayed in the countryside.
In 2021, Sheila’s daughters began to realise something was wrong with their mother’s memory.
She then received a dementia diagnosis.
Morag and her late partner Steve took Sheila on a long weekend holiday in 2021 around the North Coast 500 and Perth 150 for her birthday which she greatly enjoyed.
In June 2022, Sheila’s dementia worsened and she moved to Lethen Park Care Home.
Her daughters Morag and Fiona frequently made visits, while the care home staff gave them updates when they weren’t there.
Staff reported Sheila would frequently try to escape during ‘sundowning time’.
Sundowning is when dementia patients know they have something to do but usually can’t explain what it is.
Morag said: “In mum’s case this was usually as she saw kids making their way home from school.
“She would try to escape out a window so she could assist them crossing a road!”
On January 8, Sheila Rollo passed away.
Tributes pour in for Aberdeen’s ‘most famous’ lollipop lady
A post made by Morag on Facebook has garnered hundreds of comments from Northfield locals who remember Mrs Rollo from their youth.
Suzanne McHardy said: “She was so lovely.
“She was our lollipop lady in the early 80s when we were at Middlefield School.
“She used to call me and my sister Pinky & Perky.
“Bless her she was always a cheery soul. She will be missed by many.”
Jackie Christie added: “I remember Sheila when I went to Marchburn.
“She was still there when my kids went to Marchburn school.
“She was a lovely lollipop lady always said good morning. I had many a chat with Mrs Rollo. RIP Sheila.”
Marlene Munro dubbed Sheila as the “most famous lollipop lady in Aberdeen.”
She said: “Most famous lollipop lady in Aberdeen.
“Rip to our Northfield legend Mrs Rollo. Thinking of all her family.”
Christian Sutherland posted: “Another one of the past that took care of you and always loved to find out about your day.
“I know she will definitely be doing her job up there and looking after all our angels that were far too special for here on earth.
“Thank you for all your kindness being our lollipop lady who stayed and waited for the likes of me stragglers at the end of the day.
“Sorry for making you wait in all weathers. Gone but not forgotten.”
Sheila’s funeral
Sheila’s daughter Morag said: “She was such a kind, caring, thoughtful and generous person with a great sense of humour.
“She used to take us into town every Saturday for the brownies, that’s when Union Street was a hive.
“It used to take you forever to get anywhere because everybody knew her and everybody stopped to speak to her.
“Everybody will be welcome to her funeral.
“When we saw the comments on Facebook, we just thought well there might be a lot more people turn up than we initially imagined.”
Sheila’s funeral will be held on Monday January 27 at 11.15am at West Chapel in Hazlehead.
It will be family flowers only.
There will, however, be a collection box at the door for donations to Dementia Scotland.
Conversation