Sharon Sue Rister

Sharon Sue Braun was born in the State of Colorado on May 30. 1940. After marriages, she would later be known as Sharon Sue Crabb and finally as Sharon Sue Rister.

She and her twin sister Karen, were born to Ralph Ray Braun a.k.a. “Jack”, and Dorothy Grace Braun. At that time, Mom already had an older sister Sondra, an older brother Marvin, and later a third sister, Cindy came along.

Mom’s brother and sisters all had children, so Mom ended up being “Aunt Sharon” to 10 nieces and nephews. Mom had 13 grandchildren and 9 great grandchildren.

Grandpa Jack who was from West Virginia, and Grandma Dorothy who was from Colorado to begin with, moved from Colorado to the Fontana area, eventually settling in a home in what was then rural Glen Avon.

Jack worked in the Kaiser Steel Mill in Fontana where they made steel for World War II U.S Navy ships, and Dorothy was the homemaker.

Jack had a strong blue collar work ethic. Dorothy was a loveable, quick witted, strong personality herself, and a role model for Mom, showing her that family was very important, and that when life tested you, and knocked you down, you just picked yourself up, brushed yourself off, and kept going.

The country home in Glen Avon with all of its open space, was a central meeting place for the Braun extended family, and a place where Mom and the whole families of her siblings would get together regularly just for the fun of it.

Everyone, adults and kids, would sit around the kitchen table looking out of the window overlooking the property, and talk about anything and everything. It was a very comfortable place.

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Mom was many things. She was loving, funny, generous, thoughtful, hardworking, smart, energetic, responsible, and usually ready for an adventure. In a few words, she was a great role model.

Mom started her adult life very early, growing up in Fontana and marrying my Dad Bill Crabb, and having two boys, myself and my brother Guy when she was only a teenager herself. Mom and Guy and I sort of grew up together in some respects.

When she and my Dad divorced, I was about 6 years old and Guy was about 5 years old. It was shortly after that, that Mom got a full-time job at a technology company in Riverside, and became the primary parent of her two boys.

I never heard Mom complain about that situation once. She just rose to the occasion. Of course, she had some help from her family, and my Dad, but the vast majority of the responsibility for raising two small boys was on her, all while working full time.

I would like to say that Guy and I were two little angels, but of course, that was not the case. We would sometimes give Mom a run for her money, and would do what two young boys will do, but she was there to set us straight, love us, guide us, and do her best to make sure we stayed out of trouble. Somehow, she took the cards that life had dealt her and made the most of it.

When I was about 10 years old, Mom married my step dad Bob. Mom had many suitors before that, and one day she asked Guy and I who we liked the most, and we said Bob. There were lots of reasons why we said Bob, but it was mostly because he was a good man, and he loved Mom and she loved him.

A few years later, the twins, Melanie and Michelle were born and a few years after that, Melinda came along. In the meanwhile, my Dad Bill had remarried and had another son, my brother Sean.

Now, Sean, Melanie, Michelle and Melinda all grew up around the same time, and although they don’t have any blood in common, they consider themselves to be brother and sisters to each other. Mom treated Sean like a bonus son and he treated her like a bonus mom.

That is a testament to the nurturing, love and acceptance that Mom has shown to all of them, and encouraged between them.

Mom set an example for us, that family goes beyond just blood, and that love and acceptance is the rule. When someone came into the family by marriage, they were loved. When a new grandchild or great grandchild came into the world, they were loved. If you were a friend of Moms, you were loved by her.

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Mom was baptized into the Christian faith in 1974. She accepted Jesus Christ as her savior, her soul and spirit are now with him in heaven. When mom’s body is buried this afternoon, it will be right next to her Mom and Dad, Dorothy and Jack.

She went back to school part time after the girls were born and received her Associates Degree in about 1975, eventually going to work at Saint Jude’s Hospital in Fullerton and then later at Redlands Community Hospital as a medical records librarian and coder. She loved that job and worked there until retiring in 2010, at age 70.

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Mom was energetic, and most of the time, wherever she went, Bob was nearby. They spent lots of time together, raising their children; babysitting their grandchildren; going to their grandchildren’s sporting events, school events and performances.

They loved planning family get togethers; going to the gym; camping once in a while; traveling to near and far away places; going to their favorite local restaurants; watching their favorite church services and making a life together.

Mom also kept herself busy working at the hospitals for many years, and often times was a voluntarily blood donor there.

She loved decorating the home; working on her plants and flowers in the yard; cooking and baking and she was a great cook. She loved playing with and walking their dog Max, whom she happily and unashamedly spoiled.

From time to time, she enjoyed visiting casinos to play the slots, and she usually did better than average.

Mom loved listening to her favorite music daily, and in earlier times she was proud to be part of the singer Tom Jones’ fan club. She also loved going to the movies; going to amusement parks; watching football on TV; and shopping.

Oh yes, Mom loved shopping. Not just for herself, but for everyone in the family and beyond. On birthdays, Christmas, mother’s and father’s days, anniversaries, and graduations, you could depend on getting a thoughtful gift from Mom and Bob, together with a big smile from both of them.

There wasn’t really anything that Mom enjoyed doing more than just spending time with her family. If you were going out to dinner or the movies, or a concert, or out on the town, you knew that Mom’s presence would make the outing more fun. When she found out what the plan for fun would be, she would say with encouragement and excitement, “Oh Good!”, and the fun would start.

Ultimately, near the end of Mom’s life, I heard her tell other people many times, that she had been fortunate to have lived a great life, and that she loved all of her family very much. She had no regrets or bitterness.

Even when Mom got her medical diagnosis a little more than a year ago, she stayed positive. As her health declined, she stayed positive.

She got to know the doctors and nurses at the City of Hope when she saw them regularly. They were very compassionate people and Mom made it a point to always greet them with a smile and do her best to be upbeat.

They would ask her how she was doing, and with all sincerity she would say “great.” That would bring a big smile to their faces, probably because they didn’t get that reaction from all of their patients.

Mom lives on in our memories and even though we may be shedding tears now for her passing, remembering our time with her will make us smile, and reminds us how much she loved us. She is now at peace, and leaves behind a lifetime legacy of thoughtfulness and love.

Speaking for myself, when I come to a fork in the road of life, and must decide which direction to take, I have and will ask myself: “Which fork would Mom take if she were here”, and I will lean in that direction.

I don’t know if there is a greater compliment or sign of respect that one person can pay to another, than to say: “You have been my role model,” or “I wish I could be more like you.”

We love you, Mom. We won’t forget you. You are a part of each of us. When we leave this world, we hope to see you again in Heaven.

(With love, Rocky)