Sharon Kay Roberts

(Age 72)

Sharon, beloved wife, mother, grandmother and friend to many entered the Heavenly realm on May 7th, 2017, surrounded by her immediate family and many friends.

Sharon was born in Spokane in March, 1945, to Carl and Alice Wilson while her father was piloting B-17 bombers in England in the closing days of World War II. She was raised in the West Central neighborhood of Spokane and attended Holmes Elementary, Havermale Junior High School, and North Central High School. Her parents moved to the Shadle Park neighborhood and Sharon completed high school at Shadle Park High School, graduating in 1963.

She attended Whitworth College and graduated with a BS degree in 1967. While attending Whitworth she met Ken Roberts and they were married on June 17, 1967.

Sharon had a passion for teaching and loved kids. She taught third grade at Indian Trail Elementary School in Spokane for 2 years, then taught second grade at Kennedy Elementary in Medford, MA while Ken attended graduate school. Upon returning to Spokane, she taught remedial reading classes until she interrupted her teaching career to be at home with her children, Lisa and Michael.

When the children were older, Sharon became an aerobics instructor for Fitness Follies and later returned to teaching for the Spokane School District as a Title I liaison working with kindergarteners. She taught at many of the Spokane schools (Grant, Arlington, Lidgerwood) with most of her time being spent at Holmes Elementary. She later worked for a number of years teaching 3 year olds at Indian Trail Community Church pre-school. She loved children, and they loved her too, and some of the pre-school children and parents even kept in contact over the years. After concluding her teaching career she worked in the office of Ken Roberts Investment Management for a number of years before retiring in 2012.

Sharon loved gardening and puttering in her yard. She was a long-time member of the Friends of Manito and the Inland Empire Gardeners Club. In 1998 she went on a tour of gardens in England and France and participated in other garden tours in our local area.

Sharon enjoyed travel, and besides travelling throughout the US, she and Ken participated in Whitworth University Study Tours to Turkey, Germany, and Greece. She and the other members of the family also spent a week touring London and the surrounding area.

She especially loved to go to Camano Island and enjoyed many family gatherings there with her sister and other members of the family.

Sharon enjoyed being active in her church life, serving as a greeter and as a friend and counselor to many. Her smile and the unconditional love she showed everyone served as a magnet which blessed everyone she met.

She is survived by her husband of 49 years Ken Roberts, children Lisa (Kevin) Christiansen and Michael Roberts, grandchildren Annika and Madison Christiansen, sister Carol (Bill) Kauppila, nephew Eric (Jennifer) Kauppila, nieces Beth (Sam) Peterson, Sarah (Jean-Paul) Bergeaux and 11 grand nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, Carl and Alice Wilson.

Sharon fought a valiant battle against cancer, and the family expresses its appreciation for the professional care she received at Cancer Care Northwest and for the doctors, nurses, and staff at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center.

A celebration of Sharon’s life will be held at 2 PM on Saturday, June 3, at the Service Station, 9315 N. Nevada Street, in Spokane. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Sharon’s memory may be made to UGM Anna Ogden Hall, 1224 East Trent Ave, Spokane, WA 99201 or to The Friends of Manito, 4 West 21st Avenue, Spokane, WA 99203.