Sharon Lynn Johnson

Sharon Lynn (Stock) Johnson, 76, of Naples, Fla., and formerly of St. Joseph, Mich., and Elkhart, Ind., died on Oct. 6, 2024, at 1:05 p.m. in Naples Community Hospital after a brave battle with an extended illness.

Sharon was born in Elkhart on March 24, 1948, to Gordon D. and Frances L. (Strom) Stock.

Sharon wed Jerry G. Johnson in Elkhart on Dec. 18, 1970, and they had one child Grant M. Johnson. She graduated high school from Interlochen Arts Academy in Interlochen, Mich., in 1966 and cum laude from Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Mich., (where she met Jerry) in 1970 with majors in psychology, Spanish and art. She was a cheerleader at Hillsdale and a member of Epsilon Delta Alpha academic honor society (Hillsdale's equivalent to Phi Beta Kappa). She also studied at the University of Madrid in Spain for a semester while in college.

Sharon is survived by Jerry, her husband of 53 years, of Naples and her son, Grant (Lt. Col. USMC Ret.) of Odessa, Fla. Sharon was extremely proud of Grant who was a U.S. Marine Corps fighter pilot for 21 years and is a pilot for Southwest Airlines. She is also survived by her brothers: Gordon J. (Marianne) Stock of Elkhart and Michael H. (Ashley) Stock of Naples; her husband's brother-in-law, Ronald Clark of Brighton, Mich., and numerous nieces and nephews.

Her parents and a younger sister, Nancy, who died at childbirth, predeceased her.

Sharon believed the shots she was given before heading to Spain made her allergic to the sun. Therefore, she rarely ventured out. She would often respond when asked why in the world she moved to Florida in 2015 with a sun allergy that at least she could look out on sunny days and green trees all the time and not the gray overcast and leafless trees of Michigan's winters. And it was warm.

She was a voracious reader with a photographic memory and her family said the phrase: "That's what I do, I read books, I drink wine, and I know things," captured her perfectly. She loved cryptic crossword puzzles. She provided illustrations to the State of Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Our Story Hour magazines and illustrated a children's book. She designed and made: furniture; oriental needlepoint rugs (8'x10'), runners, wall hangings and chess boards; wood carvings; Christmas tree ornaments; the best Halloween costumes; and produced many paintings.

In 1989, Jerry lost a legal secretary and asked her to come in temporarily to help manage his office. Twenty-one years later they retired together. She "never forgave" him for that. Sharon was quite shy. She was president of the county Lawyers' Wives organization and she and her also shy vice president often "argued" about which one would have to get up and speak to the group.

Contributions may be made to Hillsdale College, at www.hillsdale.edu; The U.S. Marine Corps – Law Enforcement Foundation, at www.mc-lef.org, which provides a $35,000 educational account for every child who loses a parent on active duty in the USMC or as a Federal Law Enforcement Agent; or your local animal shelter. Arrangements are being handled by Fuller Funeral Home East, www.fullernaples.com/funeral-home-east-naples-fl, where a visitation and memorial service will be at 1 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 18.