Born October 14, 1943 in Sheboygan, Wisconsin to Kenneth and Doris Steingraber, their first child whom they named, Sharon Lee. Known to most folks as, Sharon. Though she liked to be known more by the name, Shari. A name, perhaps reserved and spoken best by those to whom she was special.
Sharon’s stay in Wisconsin was short in years, as her Dad, Ken moved first to Ogden, Utah for a brief time, where her brother, Richard joined the family. Yet another move of the young family brought them to the small community town of Sunland/Thunga in the region north of Las Angeles, California. A community in those days that had not yet begun to experience the impact of urban sprawl. Sharon adopted this community as her hometown, and the country in which she grew up through childhood as a “Little Rascal” among the neighborhood boys who were predominate at the time. Here too was the place where her sister, Carol arrived and completed the family. Though Sharon found little companionship with her sister in the early years of their lives together, as she had problems with her heart from the beginning. More often she found herself as a caregiver to her sister at the discretion of her mother.
Still, Sharon grew from a “Little Rascal” to an older “Rascal” as she become a young adult woman, and began working as life dictated. Some parts of which was very good, and other parts were not so good, but through them she gained life experience that was unique to her. Providing a foundation on which she nurtured a determination to move ahead with her life, as an “over-comer.”
February 1978, San Jose, California. Working on assignment as a Publication Coordinator to an executive group in the offices of General Electric Nuclear Division, I met Sharon for the first time. She had developed her skills as a secretary, and was serving five lead engineers, by whom she was highly respected, both as a person and in the performance of the position in which she worked. Not as a permanent employee of General Electric, but on contract to the company through a Job Shop located in the Bay Area. Previously, Sharon had worked in General Electric‘s Motor Plant, where she had gained the reputation as valued employee to the company. Even offering to mover her to their new facilities in Georgia. She chose instead to stay in San Jose, and work for General Electric as a Free-Lancer.
March 31, 1979, Carson City, Nevada. In a simple ceremony in a small wedding chapel, we were married in the presence of her sister and her husband. The following evening, as there was a convention in town, the four of us spent the night together in the same motel room.
Over the course of our marriage, in which we embraced each other for forty-six years, Sharon proved her ability and tenacity to adapt to her environment. Moving away from city life, to life in the country in the northern reaches of Nevada. Most people unaccustomed to that kind of environment call it, total desolation, saying, “There‘s nothing out there!” A tremendous change for anyone, and yet she took it in stride. By that time she had declared, several times, that living with me was an adventure.
Beyond a doubt, the state of her health presented Sharon with the greatest struggles and challenges in her life. Still, from the beginning she placed herself in the Hands of the Heavenly Father. Early in our new life as husband and wife, we had determined to have a Christian foundation under our marriage, which we tried to establish on our own the first eight years.
In His time our Lord moved us to the back side of the desert in Northern Nevada. There He set about working to build His foundation under our marriage and our lives. It was not pretty nor pleasant at first, but little by little His Light and True purpose grew and molded us as it pleased Him over a period of twenty-eight years. Then He arranged for another move in our lives.
Soon after arriving in Alliance, Nebraska, His Foundation and the Faith He had grafted into us proved to be our Strong Hold, as we discovered and faced the dreaded disease, cancer, for the first time. Giving us the Peace that kept our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus. Time and again, He blessed us during the course of days, months and years of her affliction. Through trials He raised us up and taught us how to walk with Him on Heavens Table Land.
Sharon was preceded in death by her Father, Kenneth and Mother, Doris Steingraber. Also, her Sister, Carol, who died from complications of the heart. A great disappointment to Sharon, as they had begun to experience the joys of life together as sisters for the first time in their lives.
Sharon is survived by her brother, Richard, and a nephew. Also, a number of nieces, all who stand alone in their obscurity. Never truly coming to know the remarkable Sister/Aunt they seemingly ignored.
Sharon was a great blessing to my life, especially during the hard struggles that we experienced through her battle with cancer. On the one hand, the treatments to halt the spread of the disease resulted in more problems that afflicted her heath. And I cursed them. On the other hand, our Lord was working to bring about spiritual growth and maturity in my own life. After witnessing what became a growling fourteen months of suffering for Sharon, her Heavenly Father called her home.
In reflection, I have come to see how our suffering honors the Lord, as He grounded me in His Word as the sustainer of this earthly life. For a certainly, without His Word working to strengthen me daily, I would have failed to fulfill my marriage vow, “Until Death, Do Us Part.” And coming to know and cherish the true meaning of the phrase, “A labor of Love.”
What I (Robert) have written about my Beloved Sharon is a minute sketch. A detailed story about her life would require any newspaper to print a special addition.
“We were one in this earthly life; We are one in this death; We are one for all eternity.” Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord and Savoir, Jesus Christ.