Sharon M. Ahrens

1931 - 2025

Sharon M. Ahrens

May 26, 1931 - August 12, 2025

Sharon was an only child, daughter of Dorothy Myers (Smith) and Joseph Myers. She was born in Kenosha, WI, during the late spring of 1931. While her immediate family was small, she was part of a large extended family and grew up surrounded by love. She cherished childhood memories along the shores of Lake Michigan and enjoyed fishing, sailing, and the presence of the water. She graduated from Mary D. Bradford H.S. and attended the University of Wisconsin, Parkside. Sharon was a flight attendant for American Airlines during the golden years of air travel. This adventure allowed her to broaden her horizons to visit the big cities of the U.S. One of her proud achievements was of serving on American's inaugural flight between LaGuardia and San Diego.

While based in Chicago, she met her husband of 44 years, Donald Charles (d. 1998). Sharon's marriage to Don brought a new and fulfilling role, that of a mother. Don's career took them from Oak Park, IL, to Galveston, TX; Pittsburgh, PA; and in 1968, to Maumee, OH. Sharon and Don had four children and eight grandchildren, Bill, M.D. (San Marcos, Guatemala), JoDee, M.D. (Toledo, OH; children, Michael and Alex Karcher J.D.), Chris (Thetford Center, VT; wife, Robin; children, Riley, Lindsay, Isabella PhD., and Donald), and Don (Rougement, NC; wife, Theresa; children, Kaitlan M.D. and Jessica).

After raising her four children, Sharon embarked on a successful career in retail, spending many years at Jacobson's. She had an appreciation for fashion, an eye for color, and a talent for helping customers find their own sense of style. After retirement, Sharon pursued an active life which involved volunteering at UTMC and OLPH, visiting the Toledo Museum of Art, embracing her strong devotion to religion, gardening, and monitoring a menagerie of backyard and domestic animals. She loved her family, her support network of friends (whom she considered family), her tasks, her home, and her view of the Maumee River. She was grateful for a long and healthy life, surrounded by people who shared her love and faith.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that any donation, however small, be directed to the Mayan Health Initiative (www.mayanhealthinitiative.org) in her memory. MHI provides therapy services for children with different capacities in rural western Guatemala. There will be a celebration of Sharon's life at OLPH, on Saturday, September 27, 2025, at 11:00 a.m.