BEAUFORT, SC – Sharon Wilcox Blanchard passed away March 30 at the age of 72 with her husband and two children by her side in Beaufort, SC.
Born in Burlington, Vt. on April 7, 1951, Sharon was the oldest daughter of Morris and Gloria Wilcox (LaRoux). She graduated from Russell Sage College in Troy, NY in 1973.
It was during her sophomore year of college that she met the love of her life, John. The story of their first encounter was often told at family gatherings, always accompanied by laughter. Sharon would pretend to be offended by John’s direct approach and likewise John would pretend to be embarrassed by his behavior. Their meeting, much like their life, was uniquely their own.
She and John married three months after graduation and would spend the next 50+ years together raising their two children and grandchildren. Nothing came before family for Sharon, and seldom was there an event that she missed. A constant at hockey rinks, playing fields, concerts, or plays, her children never stared into a crowd without seeing Mom there in support.
Sharon worked as a teacher in both the Augusta and Yarmouth school systems, teaching middle and high school English as well as working in a self-contained classroom with students. Affectionately known as Mrs. B, Sharon liked nothing more than passing on her love of reading to all children. No birthday, graduation, event, or even visit would go by without Sharon gifting a new book to an eager young reader. Most conversations would start with the question “What are you reading?” and end with a list of great books for the child to seek out on their own.
Although a transplant, Sharon considered herself a true Mainer at heart and loved nothing more than sitting on a porch looking at the water in her two favorite spots, Rangeley and Northeast Carry. Always with a dog by her side, a Red Sox game on the radio, and a good book in her lap, she cherished the summers in Maine.
She is survived by her husband John of Rangeley Plantation; mother Gloria Thompson of Wayzaka, Minn.; sister Marlene Smith of Maple Grove, Minn.; daughter Elisabeth and her husband Bryan of Decatur, Ga., son Jonathan and his wife Desarae of Minot; and most importantly grandchildren Beau and Sarah.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations can be made to:
Sharon’s favorite place
the Rangeley Public Library
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