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Obituary and life story submitted by the family

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haron Rose Howard, 87, of Oriental, North Carolina, passed away on Tuesday, October 14, 2025. Sharon was born in Oakland, California.

Her father worked for Standard Oil (Bapco) and was posted around the world. When she was ten, she traveled with her mother by ocean steamer to join him in Bahrein (just after the war ended), where they lived for nearly three years.

They returned to the states so she could attend high school, in Scarsdale, New York, and she went on to attend Ohio Wesleyan University where she made lifelong friends and met her husband, Geoffrey (at Kenyon). Their two children – Tara and John – were born in Ohio, where Sharon started her (elementary school) teaching career.

In 1965, they relocated to Westminster, Massachusetts to be closer to Geoffrey’s family. After subsequent adventures in Wiscasset, Maine, and New Bedford, in eastern MA, Geoffrey’s career took them to Longmeadow, in western MA. During the early 1970’s, they built a chalet in South Newfane, in southern Vermont.

Sharon and Geoffrey, with young children Tara and John, and dachshund Rasputin 1964.

Life revolved around Tara and John’s school band concerts, Tara’s flute lessons, John’s hockey games, ski patrol and skiing at Maple Valley and sailing on Lake Whitingham, and everyone loved going to the chalet.

When Sharon retired from teaching in 1982, she moved full-time to South Newfane. Sharon doted on her animals – strictly dogs at first. Rasputin and Brewmeister the dachshunds in the 60’s, Fredryka the basset hound (and for a short time, her puppies) in the 70’s, Paddington Bear the husky mix in the 80’s. The Vermont days added cats to the mix – Emilee and Sir Agravaine.

Sharon at the lake in Vermont, with wet dogs Paddington Bear and littermate Flaherty, 1983.

Sharon spent one season working at Santa’s Land in Putney, VT (as an elf, naturally) and dipped her toe into the accounting world at Mount Snow Ski Area in Dover. After a year or two, she traveled to Maui to visit her brother Bob and his family. The call of the family business and the beach kept her there for about 8 years. When the traffic got too congested on Maui, she packed her bags again and returned to VT and shared the family home with Tara and her husband Michael – and the dogs and cats.

She worked again at Mount Snow, all the while keeping tabs on son John and Karena’s young family in San Diego, CA. When the U.S. Navy moved them to Jacksonville, NC, it didn’t take Sharon long to sell the VT home and move to eastern NC, so she could enjoy her grandbabies. In 2000, she returned to teaching, and in 2007, when Tara and Michael built a log home in Oriental, NC, Sharon joined them.

Sharon with son John and eldest grandsons Philip and Brayden, 1999.

Sharon was an avid reader, and when she retired (again) she reveled in the time available for reading and knitting. She could usually be found in front of the tv with a cat close by, several books open on the couch next to her, and a baby blanket in the works on her lap. She made and donated dozens of soft baby blankets to needy families. She was enormously proud of her children and grandchildren, and travelled to Indiana to see eldest grandson Philip graduate from Purdue University and receive his commission into the U.S. Navy.

Grandson Philip’s graduation and US Navy commissioning – Michael, Tara, Geoffrey, Claire, Reese, Philip, Brayden, Sharon, Karena and John, 2019.

Over the years, she traveled to see friends she’d made along life’s passage, as well as foreign travel to Majorca, Italy, England, Japan, Scotland. Her last big trip was with Tara – on a concert tour through Germany, Austria and Hungary.

Sharon enjoyed water aerobics classes at the local Fitness Center, played Mah Jong and did book club with her ladies, sang in the community chorale with Tara, and found time to visit John’s family in WA, enjoy the opera with Tara, Michael and other Oriental music lovers, and go to the beach with Michael’s family.

Sharon, Tara, and Michael in Myrtle Beach, 2022

Despite starting a journey down memory-loss lane, she always had a smile and was so happy to see friends and family…and she never lost her sweet-tooth! Her presence will be deeply missed by all who knew her.

Sharon leaves behind her children, Tara and John (Karena) and grandsons Philip, Brayden and Reese, as well as nephews Michael and Stephen. Sharon was preceded in death by her brothers Bob and Ronnie, and her parents, Mae and Errol.

Sharon getting ice cream with her youngest grandson Reese, 2023.

Memorial donations to Pamlico Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) are welcomed at PO Box 888, Oriental, NC 28571.

Sharon’s life was celebrated in October on a glorious day in Oriental. Friends and family gathered from the four corners of the country and there was a pond, and Marines and dogs and flutes were close at hand.

Posted Wednesday October 15, 2025 by Allison DeWeese