Sharlene Guggemos

Sharlene Magdalene (Bearrood) Guggemos passed away suddenly at the age of 76 at her home in Kingwood, Texas with her husband and daughters by her side. Shar was dearly loved by her husband, daughters, sons-in-law, grandchildren and numerous friends and extended family. She was the brightest light in every room; a devout Christian who lifted the spirits of everyone she met. The sudden loss is devastatingly felt by us all.

Sharlene was born April 19, 1946 to Alf Bearrood and Stella (Jensen) Bearrood in River Falls, Wisconsin. Sharlene grew up in her beloved Hudson, Wisconsin.

In 1952, Sharlene’s father passed away at an early age. That left her mother to raise 3 children and it created a family closeness that never faded. Sheldon was 13, Shirley 11 and Sharlene only 6 years old.

Growing up Sharlene was blessed with a large family of aunts, uncles and cousins. She often went to the family farm and she spent a lot of time with her extended families often got together to celebrate some event and all had a great time. She loved to attend the family reunions over the years. Sharlene had a special place in her heart for her family. Sharlene graduated from Hudson High School in 1964 and went to work for First Trust Bank in St Paul, Minnesota while continuing to live at home with her mother.

Sharlene met the love of her life, David Guggemos, in childhood, unbeknownst to her at the time. As a family, we jokingly called this love match as the “social butterfly” with the “quiet, nerdy wrestler.” They knew each other in high school but it was a destined moment (meet cute) on the steps of the Hudson Courthouse. They coincidentally encountered each other on the steps as they went to the Courthouse to vote. In short, David was hooked immediately by Sharlene’s beautiful charm and plans were made for an immediate date.

In December 1968 Sharlene married David Guggemos at St Patrick’s Catholic Church in Hudson, Wisconsin. Sharlene’s brother, Sheldon Bearrood, walked her down the aisle. David was in the Navy and Sharlene followed her husband to many of his duty stations. Sharlene talked about how much she enjoyed traveling along with her husband (following his aircraft carrier as it navigated through the Mediterranean) as he served four years in the Navy. She was immensely proud of her husband’s service; she loved her country and it’s fitting that she will be buried at the National Cemetery in Houston, Texas.

After the Navy, Sharlene and David had their first child, Janet Kay (Guggemos) Garza, in Hudson, Wisconsin (1974). She worked for First Trust Company of St. Paul again as David finished his master’s in civil engineering at University of Minnesota. Tired of the long winters and inspired to move close to David’s parents, they moved to the Houston area in 1976. The move was difficult for Sharlene as she moved away from all of her extended family, but she loved David and the home she made with him. David worked as a civil engineer and Sharlene was a loving stay-at-home mother. She had their second daughter, Susan Lynn (Guggemos) Price, in the Houston area. They moved to Jacksonville, Texas in 1980 and owned and operated the Pine Lodge Motel. They raised their daughters there, active in the Methodist Church and the many activities in which the girls participated. Sharlene was the proficient homemaker and loving mother – baking and cooking for all occasions, having home birthday celebrations and pool parties, and being the loudest cheerleader on the sides of the soccer field or softball field. Sharlene was an extremely nurturing matriarch – steadfast in her attention and care to her family in the quiet and steady way that a mother holds her family together. It was a unique and close way to raise a family.

In 1988, David and Sharlene sold the Pine Lodge Motel and moved to Santa Clarita, California, where David resumed his civil engineering career and Sharlene took a position with the Saugus School District as a receptionist (so that her schedule could coincide with the girls’ school breaks). They lived there until Janet graduated high school and then moved to Round Rock/Georgetown, Texas. Sharlene worked at Georgetown Title Co. as Susie finished high school and college. Having lost her mother while living in Jacksonville, Sharlene fiercely loved and helped her in-laws (Ralph and Helen Guggemos) who lived in Waco during this time. Sharlene had a close loving connection throughout her life with David’s brother (Steve Guggemos) and sisters (Joan Abbitt and Jean Bingham), as well as her own brother (Sheldon Bearrood) and sister (Shirley Armstrong). For years, each summer visit to Wisconsin was focused on seeing family and catching up, never missing a family reunion. She loved her nieces (Ann Robey and Jenni Freitag) and nephews (Doug Bearrood, Tad Armstrong, Rob Bearrood, Jerry Brown and Tim Armstrong). When Janet and Susie married in 2001, the empty nesters headed to Franklin, Tennessee for David’s new engineering job. They returned to Texas in 2003, settling in Kingwood, a few months before the birth of their first grandchild.

In Kingwood, Sharlene began her retirement. For years, she led and participated in various Bible studies at Second Baptist Church. Her personal Bible is literally covered in handwritten study notes – she was a Bible scholar and a devout prayer warrior for anyone in her life. She loved to travel with David and her family; her highlighted trips were to the Holy Land, Germany, and Spain. She also found many close friends in Kingwood Garden Club, Beta Sigma Phi (sorority lifetime member) and enjoyed hosting various social events at her home. Sharlene loved to enjoy life – she laughed whole heartedly, made impromptu toasts at gatherings, loved gourmet food (has a personal library of cookbooks that rivals allrecipes.com). Sharlene went back multiple times to Wisconsin for family reunions and high school reunions over the years; the love for her home state never waned. She loved to fly in her husband’s restored T-34 airplane and volunteered many years at the Oshkosh Air Show. In 2019, they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in Hudson with many childhood friends and family. “We are going to celebrate the 50 years all year long!” she would often say. We also would be remiss if we didn’t highlight the fact that she loved the Green Bay Packers and owned one share of stock in the franchise. Her cheesehead was a prized possession.

Now for the main pride of her life: her 6 grandchildren. Sharlene took a very active role in her grandkids’ lives. She loved Sofia Garza (now 19), Maya Price (now 18), Bella Garza (now 16), Mars Price (now 14), Christian (now 13), and Helena (now 9). Sharlene would hold sleepovers (shadow puppets and Nutella toast were regular demands), tea parties at her home, Easter egg hunts, and she created a general holiday/event hub for the whole family. Each child knew that Gramma’s house was a second home for them. She brought out all the old toys and her home became very apparently grandchild-focused. Sharlene attended all the Grandparent Days at the kids’ schools, sporting events, recitals, to everyday help in pickup and babysitting whenever asked. There was never a no from Gramma; everyone could count on Gramma to be there for them.

Sharlene is survived by: her loving husband, David Guggemos of Kingwood, Texas; her two daughters, Janet (Chris) Garza of Humble, Texas and Susie (Jacob) Price of Philomath, Oregon; her grandkids Sofia, Maya, Bella, Mars, Christian and Helena; her beloved brother, Sheldon Bearrood, of Altoona, Wisconsin; her nieces, Ann Robey (Darren) and Jenni Freitag (Scott); her beloved nephews, Douglas (Teresa) Bearrood, Robert (Cathleen) Bearrood, Tad Armstrong, Tim Armstrong, and Jerry Brown (Barbara), as well as her Sisters/Brothers-In-Law Joan (Jim) Abbitt, Steve Guggemos, and Jean (Barry) Bingham. She is preceded in death by her parents and her sister Shirley Armstrong.

A Celebration of Life service will be held at Kingwood Funeral Home (22800 Hwy 59 North, Kingwood, Texas) on Saturday, April 15th: Visitation 11:00am-1:00pm; Celebration of Life 1:00pm-2:00pm; fellowship with light food 2:00pm-4:00pm. On April 17, 2023, she will be buried at Houston National Cemetery, 10410 Veterans Memorial Drive, Houston, Texas.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.kingwoodfuneralhome.com for the Guggemos family.