Sharon Auerbach

CLINTON - The exuberant light of our lives was extinguished on Valentine’s Day, 2009, when Sharon Lynn Auerbach, 64, died at her home surrounded by her family, after a courageous battle with ovarian cancer. Always thoughtful, Sharon used this day when love is expressed, to release her family and friends from their pain of watching her life ebb.





Born on September. 21, 1944, in Austin, Texas, to Robert and Jessie Ryan, Sharon grew up in rural Clayton, Ohio, in a loving home, with her sister Laurie, surrounded by a neighborhood of family; her grandparents; her Aunt Becky and Uncle Dick Ryan and their children Bob and Bridget; as well as numerous other family members.





Upon graduating from Northmont High School, she attended the University of Cincinnati, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1966.





Sharon served in Vietnam as an Army nurse from August 1967 to August 1968 and received the Bronze Star for exceptional care of wounded troops under fire.





In a serendipitous encounter just prior to leaving for Vietnam, Sharon met Dick, who was to become her best friend, the love of her life, and husband for nearly 40 years. They married in 1970, and in 1972 settled in Poulsbo, Wash., where they raised four children: Jules, Jeffrey, Deborah, and Daniel. There was nothing more sacred to Sharon than her family, and she spent years at home surrounded by the laughter and joys of watching her children grow before she returned to nursing. During this time, she also supported Dick’s growing family practice. The community holds Sharon and Dick dear, even now, long after they left Poulsbo.





In 1991, the family moved to Missoula. Sharon often said that when she came to Montana she knew she was coming home to those things she loved almost as much as her family: the seasons; the mountains and open spaces; horses, flowers and birds. She loved mushrooming, hiking and skiing; any involvement with the outdoors was her passion. It was here that she re-energized her nursing career and found a second family at the University of Montana Curry Health Center. With her special care and encouragement, she touched the hearts of students and colleagues alike.





Sharon devoted herself to several causes outside her home, contributing her unique gift of always seeing “the silver lining.” She loved life and was imbued with unconditional love, which was available to all. The pursuit closest to her heart was the Community Dispute Resolution Center, where she was able to practice her deep belief in nonviolence and peaceful conflict resolution. Her wish for her family and friends as well as the world would be to love one another and to always treat each other with respect.





In recent years, Sharon reveled in the opportunity to spend more time with Dick and her grown children and five grandchildren: Turner, Mason, Jackson, Hannah, and Braden. They will greatly miss their Nana.





A celebration of her life will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 21, at the University Congregational Church, with a reception and open forum to follow.





In lieu of flowers, donations can be made for the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund and The Community Dispute Resolution Center of Missoula. Checks should be made out to The Sharon Auerbach Charitable Fund, and mailed to Two Rivers Bank, P.O. Box 248, Milltown, MT 59851.






Read Sharon Auerbach's Obituary and Guestbook.