Sharon Marie Sweeney

Sweeney, Sharon Marie RANCHO VIEJO, Texas Sharon Marie Sweeney, passed away peacefully in her husband's arms April 11, 2011. Sharon's fight against cancer was well known, but her insistence of helping others through her deeds was inspira-tional. Sharon was born in Pittsfield, Massa-chusetts on the fourth day of October, 1963 to Jack and Joan Sweeney. She grew up in Greenville, N.Y. and graduated from Greenville High School in 1981, where she was called "Bennie" by her friends. She proudly served her county in the U.S. Navy from 1982 to 1987, where the majority of the time was spent at N.A.S. in Sigonella, Sicily as a jet engine mechanic. She also assisted in the Libyan bombing mission of 1986. After returning home she spent two years at Columbia Green Community College, where she captained the woman's basketball team and then went to attend the Clarkson University receiving both her undergraduate degree and her masters in chemical engineering. Sharon worked across the world performing a diversity of job tasks. Her professional employment included General Electric and Proctor & Gamble as a process engineer. After 10 years of producing Pampers for P & G, she was promoted to production manager producing Sunny Delight, Hawaiian Punch, and other brands. In 2006 Sharon and her husband moved their business, Ferguson Service System Inc., to the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas. Sharon was the Vice-President, overseeing construction of water treatment and waste water treatment facilities across South Texas. Most recently she was deeply involved with several ARRA stimulus projects for the City of Brownsville, Texas. Sharon was an adventurer and outdoors woman. As a young girl she enjoyed playing the violin and riding her horse, Cherokee, with her sisters on the family farm in the Catskill Mountains in upstate New York. After returning from her military service she began taking canoe trips in the Adirondacks of New York and the Allegash of Maine. In 1988 she began her wilderness trip into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area and Quetico Provincial Park in Ontario. It was during this time Sharon also met her future husband, Woody Davis of Ely, Minnesota. Over a ten year period she paddled thousands of miles and caught hundreds of fish. In the mid-nineties she spent many weeks hiking in Europe and the Western United States. Not content with the corporate grind, she left P & G to travel the country. Her love of animals led her to work at animal rescue ranches, resorts and horse farms. Later she joined her sister and brother-in-law on their sailboat as they circled the globe. Sharon fell in love with New Zealand, and stayed behind finding work at wineries and horse racing ranches. While in Texas she became an avid golfer, and card player, where she and her husband loved taking cruises, visiting over 35 countries on 19 trips from 2006 to 2011. She was an outstanding basketball player, pool player, swimmer and a fanatic Dallas Cowboys fan. She is survived by her husband, William Witherspoon Woods Davis; her parents, Jack and Joan Sweeney; her brother, Richard "Rick" Sweeney; sisters, Sandra Mead (Daniel), Susan Ambesi, Kelly Sweeney (Wayne Smith); parents-in-law, Woods and M J Davis; stepdaughter, Mary Davis; and stepsons, Billy Davis, Anthony Davis, Matthew Davis, and Thomas Davis. Also surviving Sharon are niece, Michelle Weinberg; nephew, Ryan Sweeney; brothers-in-law, Andrew Davis and Benjamin Davis; sister-in-law, Elizabeth Leustek; and her puppies, Stella, Shiner and Foster. Sharon's spirituality was strong and infectious. All her family and close friends agree she was the most loving, generous, and caring person they knew. How she defined herself made others better people. If you knew her, you would not have to ask another question, read another book, or hear another sermon. All you would have to do is watch her. A celebration of Sharon's life was held on Friday, April 15, 2011 at 10 a.m. at Buck Ashcraft Funeral Home in Harlingen, Texas with a graveside service with full military honors was held at the Rio Grande Valley State Veterans Cemetery in Mission, Texas. You are invited to leave a memory or condolence at www.buckashcraft.com. Arrangements are under direction of Buck Ashcraft Funeral Home, Harlingen, Texas.