Sharon Kay Steele

She was born on October 6, 1942, in Kansas City, Missouri, to Chester “Chet” Claude Wampler and Betty Jean (Walker) Nixon. Unfortunately, Chet died in the war when Sharon was only 2 years old, so her memories of her dad were all from stories shared by his parents, Evert and Lilly Wampler, and her mom.

Sharon was the eldest child, big sister to brother Ken. She grew up in Overland Park, Kansas, and graduated from Shawnee Mission North High School in 1960 (but she would always remind us that, “Back then, it was just Shawnee Mission High School”). We know from stories that she was a good student with more than a bit of a rebellious streak, but that is no surprise to anyone who has known her.

As a young woman, she met and married her first husband, Scott Hain. She traveled alone from the United States to Turkey, where Scott was stationed in the military, much to her mother’s chagrin. There, Sharon had her first child, Beverly Jean (but we all know her as Bev). Their marriage lasted only a while, and Sharon married again, to Richard Atkinson. With him, she welcomed her second born, Richard Dean (but we all knew him as Dean), and Jodi Lynn. She finally met the love of her life in 1973 and married Lawrence Richard Steele in 1974, who brought with him her final two children, Christine Louise (but we all know her as Chris), and Dwayne Scott (but we all know him as Scott). Together, their blended family made countless memories over the more than 50 years of life.

Sharon worked most of her life for FISCA Oil Company, first as a computer operator, working on room-sized computers that only functioned when manilla cards were fed through and punched with data on the way out. And later, when computers were much more user-friendly, as a receptionist, book keeper, and general “Girl Friday.”. When she retired, she briefly worked as Girl Friday for the Abdallah Shrine Temple office, and even as an Elementary school crossing guard in Overland Park.

She spent much of her adult life serving, alongside her mother Betty, in the Lambda Tau Delta philanthropic sorority. When Larry joined the Abdallah Shrine in the late 90s, Sharon found a new passion: helping with all manner of events, activities, and conventions, and serving as hostess and photographer. She also discovered her love of travel during this time, enjoying trip after trip with Shrine friends. She served as Queen of the El Maat Temple for the Daughters of the Nile Foundation, following in her mother’s footsteps once again.

Though she always claimed that she wasn’t artistic, she was an avid crafter: cross-stitching, directing Larry in woodworking projects, and creating unusual sculptures from things like tin cans, old silverware, and flower pots.

Sharon was the life of most parties, her laugh was infectious, and she was loud. She loved big, but she also could hold a grudge. If she learned that a friend was in need, she acted quickly. If you enjoyed a recipe she prepared, well, you would get some of that deliciousness every time she saw you. As a crossing guard, she once noticed a mom juggling a baby and her school-aged child one morning in the rain on their walk to school. That afternoon, Sharon bought an umbrella stroller to gift to the young mom for her walk back home. That was who she was: maybe a little nosy, but it was always because her heart wanted to fill a need.

Sharon Steele was preceded in death by her husband (Lawrence), her parents (Chet, Betty, and Lowell “Nick” Nixon, her stepfather), and a son (Dean). She is survived by her brother and sister-in-law, Ken and Peggy Nixon of Oxford, KS, and their three kids, Heath, Joshua, and Kenzie; her daughter Chris (Bill) Pronovost, her daughter Bev (Jay) Sturtz, her son Scott (Jennifer) Steele, and her daughter Jodi (Eric) Easter. She is survived by seven grandchildren and their partners (Jessica (Joe), Kurtis (Krissy), Katie (Raylon), Brittney, Ethan (Taylor), Sophia (Luke), and Christopher), five great grandchildren (Haze, Lily, Ellie, Raylon, and Nolan), too-many-to-count nieces and nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews, and her cousins, Linda, Glennie, and Jan.