Sharon K. Silence

Sharon Kay Wright was born in Osage, Iowa, on 6 September, 1942. She grew up in Iowa, mainly in Ames, Iowa, and graduated from Ames High School in 1961. It was during her senior year of High School that her life long relationship with her future husband, Gary Silence, began. After high school, she attended Morningside College in Iowa, but transferred to the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley Colorado her sophomore year to be closer to Gary who was a cadet in the Air Force Academy Class of 1965. They dated from then on and were formally engaged during Gary’s senior year at the Academy. Upon Gary’s graduation, they were married in the Protestant Cadet Chapel at the Academy on 10 June 1965 and began a wonderful life together. During their 26 year career with the Air Force they shared experiences in Utah, Texas, Arizona, England, Kansas, Vietnam, Iran, Virginia, New Mexico and Hawaii. During that time while Gary was flying and pursuing his Air Force duties, Sherri was a steadfast homemaker and mother of two daughters, Susanne and Carrie, while being an always faithful and supporting Air Force wife – the toughest job in the Air Force. While these were challenging years in some respects due to service related moves and numerous family separations, these were joyful times for the family.

After retirement from the Air Force in 1991 and with both daughters attending college in Colorado, Sherri and Gary settled in the Colorado Springs area and built a home in the Monument area, in large part so that she could be close to her daughters. While Gary continued to work in various capacities as a professional pilot, Sherri decided to try her hand at retail sales and worked her way from temporary help to department manager with Mervyns’ Department Store over the span of her 15 year career. One of her special pleasures during this time was being able to buy clothing or special gifts for her children and grandchildren. She later worked for Wal-Mart for a few years before health issues led to her decision to fully retire.

In more recent years, several significant health issues restricted Sherri’s mobility, but they never dampened her love of her family and her desire to do everything she could do for them and to make their lives happy and content. She took great pride in her daughters and their families.

Sherri is survived by her husband of over 46 years, Gary, her daughters, Susanne Kabza and Carrie Evans, four grandchildren, Keoni, Ashley, Marsella, and Kaylee, a brother, Jim Wright, and sister, Ann Bolin plus a large extended group of family and friends.