Sharon Sutherland Frost

Sharon Sutherland Frost died suddenly, on Friday, February 11 at 62 years old at home in Southport, NC. She leaves behind a broken-hearted husband (Jack) of 41 years and two adult children (Lauren Ashley (Frost) Cavuoto and Whitney (Frost) Gerritzen) and three beautiful grandchildren (Jack, Charlotte and Liam) all of Northern Virginia. Although she had suffered and survived a catastrophic aortic injury seven years ago and pushed through a full rebuild in the Spring of 2021, she was happy, healthy, and working her passion project of foster care, right up until death.

Sharon was born the first girl of five children to Nina (Smith) and Ronald H. Sutherland in the suburbs of Rochester, NY. She grew up in and attended school through high school in Pittsford, NY. She lived and made friends every stop along the way in Morgantown West Virginia, Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, Chantilly Virginia, and finally Bald Head Island/Southport, North Carolina.

Sharon was pre-deceased by her parents, Ron and Nina Sutherland of Pittsford/Penn Yan, NY. They had built a waterfront home on Keuka Lake, a location that brought Sharon peace and serenity. Husband Jack continued to deliver a Keuka Lake Christmas present to Sharon from her Dad every year since his death in 2007. Sharon was also pre-deceased by older brother Bruce, of Plano, TX. She is survived by three siblings, sister, Joan and husband Keith Wagner of Columbus, OH, older brother Rich of Plano, TX, and younger brother Todd and wife Ramona of Rochester, NY.

Sharon and Jack were a love story for the ages. Sharon married Jack in the summer of 1980 at 23 years old. You seldom saw one without the other and their love for each other was obvious to all who crossed their path. Jack was quick to admit that, Sharon was the best part of him. They met as teenagers working in Jack’s father’s department store in Rochester. Jack tells people she was the little hottie who engraved Christmas ornaments in the notions department. Sharon was quick to explain that she won Jack on a high school hockey game bet – that she lost! They attended West Virginia University together and were wed between undergraduate and graduate studies. Upon completion of their respective Masters programs, as the first married couple to complete their programs together, the University made arrangements for a special hooding ceremony that brought great pride to both sets of parents, complete with an official kiss of success. Sharon and Jack traveled the world together. Their greatest joy was exploring new places, trying new adventures, and eating the craziest thing on the menu together. Sharon and Jack enjoyed life to the max together.

In recent years as they started to map out retirement, Sharon and Jack bought a jewelry store on Bald Head Island. The island brought Sharon joy and relaxation for 30+ years. Jack and Sharon were among a small group that received a blessing as the result of the pandemic. Jack and Sharon sold their Virginia home to buy the business in 2019 and for the first time since graduate school, Jack moved to NC alone while Sharon continued to work in VA. Without a long-term plan, the couple shared heartbreaking facetime calls while praying for a solution to bring them back together. Along came remote working, purchase of their Southport home together, and their world was back on track.

Sharon was wicked smart, well educated, well read, and had off the chart practical intelligence. She was humble and used her smarts in life, mostly to help other people. Sharon was an introvert but loved to participate in book club and carry-on conversations about topics near and dear to her heart. Sharon made good use of the library and seldom left home without her Kindle. Sharon was a great friend to many people she met along her life path. Befriending Sharon was a blessing and came with unconditional love and thoughtful conversation and a willingness to always listen and help.

Sharon and Jack raised two fine daughters, and got an assist on a third (Chrissy Garzone Clark). Sharon valued family above all. She felt she’d won the parent lotto as a child and was determined to carry that blessing forward. She was proud of the women and Moms our girls had become. Chrissy was added in a God wink moment along the way and provided yet another loving Mom opportunity for Sharon. Sharon felt fortunate to spend 6+ months living together with her as we navigated the work store transition from Virginia to North Carolina. Sharon was blessed to see youngest grandson (Liam) baptized two weeks ago and left knowing Chrissy was expecting their first child. In recent years, her new favorite role was that of grandmother. She loved nothing more than having one of them on her lap, reading, and cuddling with them. Sharon told all listeners how much joy her tiny humans brought her.

At work, she let her love of family and desire for every child to be raised by loving parents, guide her every move. She worked more than 40 years in just two large foster care programs. First in Pittsburgh at Pressley Ridge and until death, at Northern Virginia Family Service. She lit up when telling you proudly how many kids she worked to get adopted out of foster care. Their stories broke her heart but that only flamed her desires to help more. She loved to grow the passion among new case managers. She hired and trained some of the best of the best. As she aged in the program, she became a mother hen and truly loved many of her staff. But it was never about them working for her. Rather it was always about the kids first and then the betterment of the individual case manager. Countless times she was crushed by the loss of an employee, only to quickly come to grips with the fact that they were in a better place for them. It was always about what was the right thing for the case manager and the population they would serve.

At home, Sharon was loving, understanding, patient, motherly, and kind. She gave far more than received and was ok with that. In fact, I think Sharon was among one of the most grateful people I’ve ever known. She had a magical way of seeing good in everything and attempted to get those around her to share her perspective. She used to torture me by making me tell her ten things from the day that I was grateful for, before she would kiss me goodnight. Her love always made the torture worthwhile. She lived a blessed life for all things large and small. She particularly loved her role as Mom. She would mother all takers. She had a way of giving lessons filled with love, firm but not judgmental or belittling. She did a wonderful job of creating the next generation of family focused, loving, kind, and caring, individuals.

Those loved by Sharon never wondered if they were loved. She said I love you and I love you today easily. Sharon will be remembered by those she loved, for her hugs. She gave the warmest, most engulfing, full of love hugs of anyone we know. Her hugs said I love you and I never want to let you go.

Sharon was real, nothing fancy, nothing put-on, down to earth, and just plain beautiful, inside and out. She often joked that she shared her mom’s garage-sale mentality. Her owning a jewelry store for eventual retirement, was almost ironic. The business to her was not what was important. She just wanted something Jack and Sharon could do together in our final phase of life together.

Sharon was the ultimate planner and list maker. She left no fewer than 30 mini legal pads of to-do lists placed in strategic locations throughout the home. They break my heart and make me smile, all at the same time. Sharon carried love filled family traditions down from her family and ingrained them into our family. Christmas Eve hors d’oeuvre dinner tradition is planned for the next generation and beyond.

Sharon made the world a better place to live. She was warm, kind, loving, non-judgmental, inclusive and giving. Knowing Sharon was a blessing. Living with her for 41 years, was a gift. When she hugged you and said “I Love You Today” it made everything ok. I love you today, Sharon. Sleep well and thanks for sharing your life with us.

This will be my lead in to my Facebook post:

There will be a non-denominational funeral service for Sharon in the Bald Head Island Chapel on Tuesday, February 22, 2022 at 2:00 pm. All are invited.

There will be a Celebration of Life for Sharon at The Dominion Valley Country Club in Haymarket, Virginia on Sunday, March 13, 2022 from 11:00 – 2:00.

In lieu of flowers, we have established a donation opportunity to Sharon’s lifetime therapeutic foster care passion project. Go to her employers www.NVFS.org website, scroll down to donation, select Therapeutic Foster Care from the drop down menu, and add In Memory of Sharon Frost in notes.

I’ve spent eight days trying to write an obituary that sums up the life of a great woman who I’ve spent a lifetime with. Completion seems to signal an end, an end that I can’t accept. How can I possibly summarize the good Sharon has done and the blessing she was to so many in a few simple words? I’m fraught with fear that I’ll miss something important. Therefore, consider the following highlights and from these I’ll attempt a succinct summary for the newspaper.

And finally, it’s impossible for me to succinctly sum up all that Sharon was to all the people she has impacted. To help, the family has created an email account ([email protected]) for you to send emails to tell us what she meant to you. I find writing therapeutic, if you do, please send us your thoughts.