Sheila Sara Szymborski

1932 - 2024

Sheila Sara Szymborski passed away March 15, 2024, in Jupiter, Florida, surrounded in love by her family; she was 91 years old.

Sheila Sara Scharf was born to Gertrude Brogan Scharf and Sidney Scharf on October 12, 1932, in Brookline, Massachusetts. She graduated from St. Mary's High School in Brookline and attended Anna Maria College, receiving her BA in French in 1954. Sheila was then accepted into the French Masters program at Boston College, a rarity for a young female scholar at the time, receiving her degree in 1957.

From there, Sheila began her professional career in Boston, teaching French and writing French textbooks for a variety of publishers, including Ginn & Company.

In 1966, she married Francis Joseph Szymborski, a naval veteran and civil engineer from Queens, NY. They had one child – daughter, Alexandra.

After a time living overseas in Belgium, the family settled in Old Greenwich, Connecticut. Sheila left publishing and became a Senior Research Specialist at Gartner until she retired in 2007.

Sheila found great fulfillment volunteering with the Greenwich Library's Oral History Project, collecting firsthand accounts of the town's long history from people who lived it. She was also very proud to volunteer as part of the Greenwich United Way Reading Champions program, helping young students improve their reading skills.

Sheila and Frank loved traveling and entertaining until his death in February 2000. She was a dedicated crossword puzzle enthusiast – ultimately graduating from the NY Times to the large print collections. But Sheila's greatest joy in her later years was being a doting grandmother to Abigail.

In 2020, Sheila moved to Jupiter, Florida, to join Alexandra, her husband, Jon, and Abigail. Sheila Sara Scharf Szymborski will be laid to rest at Frank's side at St. Mary's Cemetery in Greenwich.