Sharon Kay King

Sharon Kay King passed away surrounded by her family in Boulder, Colorado on Thursday, July 6th. Sharon was born in Denver to Dwight “Tony” E. English and Cora V. English (Lee). She was more than proud to be a Colorado native, and she embodied the spirit of the state. She lived an affirming life in all its best. Straight forward. Confident. With joy in her heart, laughter at the ready and love in her soul.

Sharon grew up in Denver. She was an only child and was happily raised by her parents and had cousins with whom she remained close friends with throughout her life. Growing up in the 50’s she had a deep appreciation for her circumstances and a passion for her life in the west. Her childhood home in Athmar Park was idyllic. She graduated from West High School in 1959.

She married David Steffek in January 1961. They moved to Boulder in 1962 where they started their family. After divorcing in 1974, Sharon earned a Computer Operations and Data Processing certificate from VoTech Technical School and was was hired by Beech Aircraft Corporation’s Aerospace Division in 1975. She was a stellar employee and received many accolades for her dedication to her job. Beechcraft closed in 1986 and Sharon was instrumental in helping find former Beech employees new jobs.

Sharon married Wally King in 1985. They bought a small cabin in The Harbor subdivision of Grand Lake. And thus began her dream of living in the mountains. Later they were able to build a log home in Grand Lake where Sharon lived independently until her passing.

In 1991 Sharon was hired as an office assistant at Mountain Lake Properties and soon after earned her real estate license. She was proud to be the first non-owner agent at the firm and quickly developed a passion for real estate that was second to none. She was quoted in the 1999 Grand Lake Real Estate Weekly saying, “she enjoyed the relative peace of Grand Lake and hopes that despite the current spurt of development, Grand Lake will never have a traffic light.” So far that remains true! After her retirement from Mountain Lake Properties in 2006 she continued to closely follow the real estate scene in Grand Lake throughout her life.

Sharon served on the board of the Grand Lake Area Arts Council and is a lifetime member of the Grand Lake Area Historical Society. She donated her time to the Kaufman House, Grand Lake Repertoire Theater and Tombstone Tales. She loved Grand Lake for its rich history and the fact that “real cowboys” lived here. She personified the spirit of the mountains and appreciated Grand Lake for exactly what it is, a true mountain town. Her love of mountains, nature, maps, rock formations and rocks, in particular, were passed on to her children and grandchildren. She loved the wilds of nature, and she carried a wild spirit within. A perfect match.

Sharon will be deeply missed by her children Stephen Steffek (Tracey), Shaunna Gapter (Kent), Leanne Wilsted (Brad), 9 Grandchildren, 2 Great-Grandchildren and a handful of lifetime friends who were exceptional in her life.

She was so fulfilled watching her Grandchildren become adults. She was so proud of their forthrightness and character and felt such joy in their success. She respected them and they respected her. She led by example and showed her Grandchildren, their significant others, and even some of their friends what life is all about: enjoying the simple things and embracing the person that you are. She lived life by the beat of her own drum.

Her combination of humor and wisdom and wackiness topped with more humor was something to note. There were standards and bedrock opinion and a matter-of-fact pragmatism all lubricated with her quirky humor and great laughter that would throw a conversation into a completely different relevance. We will miss the conversations, the thought filled way she addressed issues, and the raised eyebrow side-look winks taking us into her confidence. We are thankful for the time spent, for the moments shared with her … all of them.

There will be a private family memorial at a future date. Contributions may be made in Sharon’s memory to the Grand Lake Area Historical Society.