Sharon Elizabeth Brown

Sharon Elizabeth Brown was quiet and observant in her ways. She was trustworthy and traditional in her approach to her life and in her relationships. She was tough-minded with the kind of “stick to it” attitude that earned the respect of all who knew her. She was also a woman who was meticulous, carefully disciplined, and orderly in virtually everything she undertook. Realistic about life, she was always at the ready, prepared to take on responsibility.

      Sharon was born on July 11, 1952 at Matthew's Memorial Hospital on St. Joseph Island. Her parents were Harold and Coyla Brown. Sharon was raised on a farm on the D-Line, St. Joseph Island. She was brought up to be self-confident, independent and dependable. These were traits that would serve her well throughout her life.

      Growing up in the Brown household was like most other farming families. There were good times to be had, but just as often there was a fair share of work to be done. Sharon was raised with two siblings. She had one older brother Douglas Brown, one younger sister Debbie Brown (Pritchard). Sharon was constantly involved in activities with the neighbourhood farming children.

      As a young child, Sharon was never someone who needed to be the center of attention. She wasn’t pushy and never forced her way into games or other activities. Sharon developed a variety of interests, though, and the things she enjoyed doing she did well. She was always curious about the enviroment around her and was often eager to explore it. Sharon took part in baseball, track and field and hockey. However, what Sharon enjoyed most was simply playing and spending time on their family farm.

      While her teachers and even her friends generally thought of Sharon as being a serious person, she managed to have a pretty good time in high school as she made that critical transition from adolescence to adulthood. She graduated from St. Joseph Island District High School, a four classroom building in 1970. She enjoyed some courses more than others, having favorite classes and teachers. The teacher she enjoyed learning from the most was Ches Wallace. Sharon was a very logical person who enjoyed learning about factual information. Using her exceptional memory, she was able to learn much through observation. Sharon always seemed to have a command of the facts and was able to make it seem as though she could easily master any problem that might be presented to her.

      Always considered to be a solid friend, Sharon was fortunate to have numerous acquaintances and several very close friends during her life. Since she disliked making generalizations about people and preferred to draw her own conclusions based on direct observation, Sharon was able to see beneath the surface of relationships and became a true friend to those who knew her. She was committed to her friends and valued the trust she placed in them. It was not uncommon for Sharon to go beyond the call of duty for others, and friends frequently sought her out for advice because she had a knack for coming up with practical solutions to any type of dilemma. While growing up, one of her best friends was Nancy (Haight) Penrose. Later in life, she became friends with Judy Trainor, Connie Witty, Joanne Barton and The Boating Crew.

       Sharon married Raymond Nelson September 22, 1971. The couple chose to share their wedding date with both sets of parents. Each year was a shared anniversary celebration for all three couples and their family. Sharon and Raymond shared many memorable and happy years together but later divorced after almost 25 years of marriage.

Sharon later moved to the United States (Minnesota) and married Bob Karpowicz February 14, 2000. They relocated to Cheyboygan Wisconsin where she did small home renovations for a couple who owned a small renovation company. Joe and Jean became good friends and looked out for mom while she was living in Wisconsin Her time spent in the United States proved to be a difficult and trying time for her. Sharon returned to Canada, residing between St. Joseph Island and Sault Ste. Marie. Sharon struggled to return to a normal way of life making her last few years difficult for both her and her family. Sharon remainded a constant part of her children's and parents lives. Social situations and family get togethers proved difficult for her and she often preferred to be alone and in smaller social settings most of the time.

 Sharon brought the same traditional values in her marriage to bear on how she raised her children. She was a good parent to them, always firm yet fair in her dealings. She would always listen carefully and think things through before she acted, even when it was an adverse situation. Sharon was also a walking schedule, always seeming to know what everyone in the family needed to do, where they needed to be and when they needed to be there. Sharon was blessed with two children, one son, Bradley and one daughter, Kellie. She was also blessed with one granddaughter, Sydney. Sydney enjoyed her short time with her "Bamma" for just short of two years before Sharon's passing.

      Sharon greatly enjoyed what she did for a living. She was a hard worker who expected the same in return from her co-workers. She was skilled at working effectively in small groups and in one-on-one situations as well as handling solo assignments efficiently. Sharon enjoyed dealing with concrete ideas and could penetrate any amount of fuzzy information to reach the essential facts. Always able to attend to the task at hand, Sharon was excellent at meeting deadlines. She was an efficient worker, one who paid careful attention to detail, allowing sufficient time to complete one task before moving on to the next. Her primary occupation was Bank Manager/ Teller with the majority of her career at the St. Joseph Island branches of the CIBC and Northern Credit Union. Sharon worked hard to be a team player, doing what was necessary in order to get the job done. She was also involved with a number of parttime jobs which included, cleaning the bank after hours as well as the Board Office. She also handled the books for Dinelle's Grocery Store.

      Sharon liked to experience things first-hand as well as learn about them. This trait carried over into her hobbies, where she was very methodical in how she organized her activities and categorized things. ,When Sharon wasn't accompanying her children to their sporting events and hobbies Sharon always tried to allocate a specific time for working on her hobbies. Her favorite pursuits were sewing, knitting, crocheting, gardening, cooking, and watching hockey and baseball on tv. Sharon was content to enjoy her hobbies alone but was also willing to share her interests with others.

      Sharon found pleasure in sports. Being a person who was comfortable making win/lose decisions throughout life, she could appreciate that athletes made those types of decisions in sports. She applauded those who won, and she enjoyed the statistical data and sports facts and could find herself wrapped up in those details. In high school, Sharon played hockey, baseball and track. Sharon was involved in Women's High School hockey and could boast about their championship win in her grade 12 year. Sharon was also part of the St. Joseph Island Womens Baseball league later on in her life. Sharon inherited her sporting talents from her father who was very involved with coaching both hockey and baseball teams. She would watch her favorite sporting events whenever she got the opportunity. Tops on her list were hockey and baseball.

      Many organizations were grateful to have Sharon as a member, since she always brought with her a “stick to it” attitude and a high degree of common sense. Using straightforward methods to successfully complete the job, Sharon was a great planner who was incredibly well organized. It seemed that she was able to schedule any event or activity with ease. She always seemed to know exactly what needed to be done. Throughout her years, Sharon was an active member of the community volunteering her time at Cornfest, Community Nights, 4H Leader, Childrens Library, Winter Carnival and much much more.

      As a woman who always showed great commitment to the things she believed in, it’s little wonder that Sharon was so active in her community. Being practical and mentally disciplined, Sharon preferred to base her decisions on first-hand experiences. Sharon was never afraid to roll up her sleeves and dig right in. Sharon was a member of several community groups, including The Recreation Committee and Shamrock Skating Club.

      Sharon enjoyed traveling and taking vacations. Since she was an early starter and had a knack for planning everything, traveling with Sharon appeared effortless. She enjoyed researching all of her examined options and applying cost-effective planning techniques. Plus, no matter where she traveled, Sharon always had a back up plan at the ready, just in case. Favorite vacations included Florida while she was pregnant (Brad), Boating trips every July with The Boat Crew. Sharon enjoyed her many trips with the Cornfest Float around different parts of Canada. One of the most memorable trips was a family vacation to Toronto with Joanne and Gary Barton.

      Sharon was a lover of animals and cherished her pets. She had many favourite pets throughout her life. In her younger years it was their family dog and she enjoyed having horses growing up. Her favourite family pet with her children was a cat named Felix, and a dog named Sandy. Her family was rounded out by her two other cats Tia Maria, Zammy and her daughters cat Baby T (of 20 years).

      Sharon Elizabeth Brown passed away on September 9, 2016 at her home in Sault Ste. Marie, unexpectedly in her sleep. She is survived by her children Bradley Nelson, Kellie Smith (son in law Ken Smith), Granddaughter Sydney Smith, her brother Doug Brown and sister Debbie Pritchard. "Celebration of Life" held at the Royal Canadian Legion Brance 374 in Richards Landing. Sharon Elizabeth was laid to rest at the Mountain Cemetery, St. Joseph Island.

      Commitment is a key word that can be used to describe the life of Sharon Elizabeth Brown. She was committed to living the life of a good woman who was both practical and trustworthy. She was committed to the traditional values that she upheld her entire life. She committed herself to being a hard worker who expected the same effort in return from those around her. Most of all, she was committed to those she knew and loved.

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BROWN, Sharon Elizabeth – Unexpectedly at home on Friday, September 9, 2016 at the age of 64. Loving mother of Brad Nelson and Kellie Smith (Ken). Proud grandmother of Sydney Smith. Dear sister of Doug Brown (Brenda) and Debbie Pritchard (Eric). Predeceased by her parents Harold and Coyla Brown. Also missed by many nieces, nephews and close friends. Friends are invited to a celebration of Sharon’s life at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 374 (Richards Landing) on Saturday, September 17, 2016 from 11 am until 2 pm. Memorial contributions to the Algoma Residential Community Hospice (ARCH) would be greatly appreciated. Sharon was a second mom to many island kids. She will be remembered for her many talents including knitting, cooking and gardening. Arrangements entrusted to the Arthur Funeral Home & Cremation Centre 705-759-2522.