SHARON LIPSON

Sharon Ekter Lipson
Passed away peacefully on August 10, 2012 at home surrounded by her family. She was born December 24, 1941 and grew up in Chicago, Illinois. Sharon is survived by her loving family, husband Leon, and children, daughter Laurie Richardson and her husband Monte, son Jeffrey Lipson and Tom, daughter Debbie Whitmer and her husband John, and son Peter Lipson and his wife Debbie. She was a devoted grandmother to Claire Richardson, Simeon Richardson, Micayla Whitmer, Eric Whitmer, Madera Lipson, Lucia Lipson, Catalina Lipson, and Ana Sophia Lipson.
Sharon and her husband met in college, at University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, and shared a long loving marriage of nearly 50 years. They married in Chicago in 1962. By 1967, they moved to the mid-peninsula, where they built their lives and raised a family. Sharon was always by Leon's side and was critical to his success in all aspects of their personal and professional lives. They loved to travel together. Sharon and Leon traveled far and wide through the years, many times with friends and family.
An avid chef, Sharon studied with Jacques Pepin, Flo Braker, Alice Waters and other renowned chefs. She shared her skill with her children and grandchildren, imparting the importance of sharing food with family and friends. She not only watched over the family, but also made extraordinary contributions to the community. She was a compassionate, kind hearted, generous and most honorable woman.
For many years, Sharon was an active and dedicated volunteer in the Jewish community. Over the past four decades, she served with the Beth Am Sisterhood. She actively participated in activities at the Palo Alto Jewish Community Center. She often 'adopted' newly emigrated Jewish families from abroad to help them adjust to life in the Bay Area. Most notably, she and the entire Lipson family actively participated in the Beth Am Fresser's Havurah. That group served as an extended family in celebrating Jewish holidays and important lifecycle events.
Sharon's volunteerism extended well into the local community. She worked with Allied Arts Guild, where she helped to raise funds to support uncompensated care at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital. She also participated in Peninsula Children's Center Charter Auxiliary, where she was actively involved in their Holiday Program.
Family and friends are invited to attend a celebration of Sharon's life, which will be held on Monday, August 13, 2012 at Congregation Beth Am in Los Altos Hills, CA , 26790 Arastradero Road, at 12:30 PM. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Congregation Beth Am Memorial Fund in Sharon's memory.