"Funeral service held for Six Nations singer"

OHSWEKEN - Sharon (Shin) Ann VanEvery, a bluegrass singer, guidance counsellor and former Six Nations band councillor, was buried Monday following a funeral service in Hagersville.

The 51-year-old woman died Friday. She had cancer.

"She had her students; she had her music; she had her family and she had her community," her sister Jan Longboat said Monday.

"She had many beautiful lives and every one she gave her all to."

Ms. VanEvery was very active in the Six Nations community, serving on committees working with the Six Nations Pageant and serving as a elected councillor for six years until 1982.

She also taught elementary school for 11 years and spent many summers working with the native classroom assistant program at Ontario universities.

While she had no children, "She loved children," said her sister. "So she had hundreds."

One thing that was very important to her was a committee she was on in the mid-1960s aimed to bring together native youth, said Ms. Longboat, who added that while the committee ended because of lack of funding, her sister never forgot it.

Ms. VanEvery, who was a guidance counsellor, was working on a conference with dents to bring native youth together from as far as possible. She was still helping organizers last week.

She was "fabulous, incredible," said Sue Davidson, head of the Guidance department at Hagersville High School. "You don't meet many people as special as her.

"She was gentle and caring" and "very supportive of all students," said Mr. Davidson.

Ms. VanEvery was a noted bluegrass musician earning awards in the Canadian Bluegrass music community.

In 1984, she and her band garnered most promising new band and album of the year. In 1985. the band took the Bluegrass band of the year award and album of the year award.

Ms. VanEvery also is survived by her brothers and sisters - Doris Miller, Mary Bloomfield, Alton VanEvery, Jean Allison, Carolyn Beaver, Carol Hill and Wayne VanEvery.