Sharon J. Szabo

Sharon Jo Szabo, 74, passed away September 7, 2021 at Bay Area Hospital in Coos Bay, due to surgical complications and kidney disease. Her only child, Alexia Gederos, was by her side.

Sharon lived with unwavering faith and commitment to God, the church and love for her family. She was predeceased by her brother, Stanton Stout and their parents, Charles and Helen (Merva) Stout. She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Alexia and Stephen Gederos; her grandchildren, Knoll and Eve; and her beloved cat, Jake.

Sharon grew up in Elyria, Ohio. She played various instruments (piano, accordion and French horn) and was a Rainbow Girl. After graduating from Elyria High School in 1965, she earned a Bachelor of Music degree from Bowling Green State University in 1969. The next two decades were spent traveling the world with her first husband in the Air Force. While stationed in England, she attended Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School, and always loved to cook!

In 1980, Sharon gave birth to her daughter in Germany. At the same time, cancer was detected and spreading, which led her to a long isolation period of radiation treatments that killed the cancer but caused substantial harm, resulting in a lifetime of health problems and surgeries. Many doctors said that she was a walking miracle.

After living in Turkey and following a divorce in 1990, Sharon and her daughter lived in Florida. As a single mom, she returned to school for an accounting degree from Troy State University. She was a piano teacher to numerous pupils, and a math tutor for the women’s college basketball team. After earning her degree in 1994, she worked for Lockheed Martin, where she met her second husband. They moved to Maryland and then Ohio. Sharon’s career led her to Mitel, where she eventually retired as their Financial Director of North America and Canada.

Following retirement, Sharon cared for her mother until she passed. In 2014, she moved to Oregon for the birth of her granddaughter, who she helped raise and adored. She loved watching her grandson play sports, and enjoyed watching football with her son-in-law (she was a super-fan of the Ohio State Buckeyes). She loved dining and shopping with her daughter (trips to Eugene that mostly correlated with medical appointments, but also birthdays).

When in-person services can safely resume, we hope to have a memorial service at the Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Coos Bay, Oregon, where Sharon was a devoted member and on the altar guild. She appreciated the friendships and memories made there, including her grandchildren’s baptisms, holiday events and preschool!

Per Sharon’s request, her daughter and family will take her ashes to Valley City, Ohio, for a celebration of life next summer, 2022.

Cremation rites have been held at Ocean View Memory Gardens Crematory, Coos Bay under the direction of Coos Bay Chapel, 685 Anderson Ave., 541-267-3131. Family and friends are invited to sign the online guestbook at www.coosbayareafunerals.com

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