My wife passed away a month ago after a valiant fight against cancer. We had a memorial for her five days after her death, but I was too distraught to be able to talk. Today we had another memorial for her, this time in her hometown . It was very nice to see people who knew her and loved her talking about their experiences. This time I knew what I wanted to say, but was too emotional to say it well. So here goes another attempt.
Sharon came into my life thirteen years ago, first as friend, then as a girlfriend and finally as my wife. Our time together was much shorter than I wanted, but during our brief time together I came to know how multi-faceted she was.
There was Sharon the pilot, the first one I met. As a kid she wanted to be an astronaut and a pilot, and though the first dream was out of reach, the second one became true and together we flew all over the skies of California.
There was Sharon the astronomer, who bought astronomy books, magazines and celestial maps, and who, when presented with a clear night would drag her telescope outside to look at the moon, the stars and the planets. I still remember her shouting, "It's just like Galileo's notebook!" and grinning from ear to ear the first time she saw Jupiter and its moons.
There was Sharon the athlete, who jogged almost every day and did not miss a single "Bay to Breakers" or "Run to the Far Side" race, who even took part in the Santa Cruz half-marathon. For this Sharon, two things were important: finishing the race and getting the t-shirt.
There was Sharon the adventurer, who went to spend a summer in Finland and, that not being exotic enough, decided she needed to explore nearby Leningrad, deep inside "enemy territory." This Sharon traveled to Europe on her own, climbed the Tower of Pisa, rode gondolas in Venice, saw the Vatican and the pope, rode submarine bikes in the Bahamas, snorkeled in Hawaii and on her first trip to Brazil wanted to make sure she was awake when she crossed the Equator.
There was Sharon the scholar, who not content with a college degree went on to add two masters, one in business and one in fine arts. This same Sharon did not hesitate to take up Portuguese once our relationship got serious, and, on quitting her job to dedicate herself to treating her disease, filled her time by studying physics.
There was Sharon the loyal friend, taking the side of friends and family, helping and supporting them any way she could. She cried with them, laughed with them and was always there with a helping hand or advice when needed.
There was Sharon the theater fanatic, who not only took part in school plays, but went to New York to be a theater director. This Sharon knew her musicals and once was frustrated she only recognized 13 of the 15 songs in a Broadway medley show. This Sharon also made sure we had season tickets for the local theater company and did not miss a play.
There was Sharon the businesswoman, working as a manager and director in Silicon Valley, helping companies build the software that runs the world, and still finding time to mentor and support her employees.
There was Sharon the artisan, who won a blue ribbon at the Greene County fair with her a-line skirt, who knitted and did needlepoint. This Sharon who did art and built the only napkin ring-based art-piece I have ever seen.
There was Sharon the reader, who consumed books voraciously, 30 to 50 per year, on all sorts of different subjects. Novels, science fiction, history, current events, astronomy, everything was of interest to her.
There was Sharon the writer, who constantly wrote down on her notebooks her thoughts and feeling, and who was know to produce the occasional short story.
And there was Sharon my wife and best friend, who welcomed me home every day with her beautiful smile, who snuggled with me in front of the TV, who laughed easily at my jokes and with whom I had wonderful conversations on the most esoteric subjects, such as a taxonomy for sports and the nature of man's need for religion.
I am glad I have met all those Sharons and that they became part of my life. I will miss them all, for they are the Sharon I love.
