SHARON MARIE CAROL JOHANSEN

(May 27, 1943 - March 4, 2026) Sharon, our incredible Mother, Grandmother, Sister, Aunt, Cousin, Friend, Free Spirit, and self-proclaimed Relationship Expert passed away in the early hours of March 4th, from complications from two very unrelenting and unwelcome strokes. Sharon was born in Oshawa on May 27, 1943, to two wonderful parents, Millie Johansen (Mackin) and Peter Johansen (a Danish immigrant and a darn good home builder in Oshawa). Sharon was predeceased by her larger-than-life and loving brother, also named Peter. Sharon spent her childhood in Oshawa, and also had a brief stint in Florida with her brother and parents. Sharon received her Teachers designation from Toronto Teacher's College, and was a high school algebra teacher for many years and always loved this part of her life. Sharon had a pure love of all types of music and completed Level 10 of the Royal Conservatory of Music. In 1965, Sharon married Derek Watchorn and followed that up by having two supremely awesome boys, Jeff and Glenn. Sharon, being a true free spirit (read "hippie"), decided being married to a Bay Street lawyer wasn't for her, so began a series of interesting phases in her life. The first phase involved moving to Aspen, Colorado, in the early 1980s and dragging her boys down there kicking and screaming. For the boys, this phase ended up being a truly incredible time in their lives where they were able to ski throughout their high school years. The second and extremely brief phase of Sharon's life involved a yearlong marriage to a completely mismatched man from Oklahoma. "Might as well, got the dress and the caterers are here" were her famous last words just before she walked down the aisle. The third phase was most certainly a weird one, where she was in three successive relationships (not concurrent!) with men named Chuck with last names beginning with "B." We never quite understood this phase, but thankfully it ended and this phase has been the source of many laughs with Sharon over the years. The last and most rewarding phase for Sharon and her family was when Sharon returned from Aspen in the late 1990s to be a truly wonderful grandmother to her four beloved grandchildren, Ryan, Shannon, Landon, and Jack. In these great and precious years, Sharon passed on important life skills, including how to "throw some cards" in poker and how to bet on horses at the Woodbine racetrack. Always bet on the "grey mare on a grey day" is what we will always remember. Sharon also shared with her grandchildren her eclectic taste in music, with many emails and texts sent to each of them with different versions of her "absolute most favourite song ever." Sharon had an incredible sense of humour and a wonderful laugh - she would walk into a room and simply light it up. To give a sense of the experiences over her life that shaped her, Sharon was also a certified florist, real estate agent and salesperson for GM, Chrysler and for a Colorado radio station where she sold advertising. If that were not enough, Sharon was also a self-employed horse broker for over 15 years when she lived in Colorado. Sharon was passionate and uncompromising and lived her life without any concern for convention. She truly was a maverick and a unique woman from her generation. Sharon left a lasting legacy of colourful and loving memories for all her family. Others that loved her included Sherri (daughter-in-law, married to Jeff, and mother to Ryan and Landon), Helga (mother of Jack and Shannon), Mel (daughter-in-law, married to Glenn), Daphne Gibson and Lynda Johansen (sisters-in-law), along with her Johansen and Mackin family members and many, many friends (Connie from Aspen, and Astrid and Dave from Omemee, only to name a few). According to her wishes, the family will forgo a funeral service and will instead celebrate her life with a private family service in May around her birthday when she would have been 83. How will we celebrate? The horse races of course! Special thanks to Joyful Living PSW services who helped take care of Sharon over the last year, and to the North York General Hospital doctors and nurses who were so kind to her in her final days. If you would like to honour Sharon's life, please consider donating in her name to the Heart and Stroke Foundation.