Sharon Ruth Davis (née Bunce), age 76, passed away peacefully at Sun Pointe Village, in Kelowna, British Columbia (B.C.). She is survived by her children, Kirsten (Bruce), Caitlin (Tyler), Luke and Paul, as well as her beloved and loving brother, Rob (Cheryl). She is also survived by her nephews, nieces, brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, as well as her two granddaughters, all of whom she loved very much.
Sharon is pre-deceased by her parents, Fred and Helen Bunce (née Marshall), as well as her husband, Bob Davis.
Born in Milden, Saskatchewan, Sharon moved to Kelowna with her parents in 1944, where she graduated from Kelowna Secondary School and was crowned “Lady of the Lake” in 1958.
Sharon attended the University of British Columbia (UBC), graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree and a teaching certificate. She worked at the CBC in Vancouver while in school and for a short time afterwards, and taught at a number of high schools in Northern B.C.
Sharon’s life trajectory took a 180 degree turn when she met and married Bob, a former UBC professor who was living in Quesnel and working as a recreation consultant for Northern B.C. at the time.
Sharon and Bob had their first two children in Quesnel, but left when the youngest was an infant. When they left Quesnel, Sharon and Bob did what a number of people were doing at the time – they “dropped out of society.” To this end, they moved into a home on wheels, in which they raised their four children with a unique philosophy about learning: that children should be left free to explore and learn in their own time. Based on this philosophy, they chose to home-school their children.
As one might expect, the job of homeschooling is the job of the partner who stays at home. This was Sharon. Unlike most moms, who sent their children off to school each day, Sharon spent most of her waking hours with her children. The time, patience and love this must have required is mind-boggling, and is one of the greatest gifts that she gave her children. Sharon did not only give this gift of patience and love to her children, she also gave this to her in-laws and their children, who Sharon and Bob took into their home at various difficult moments in their lives.
Sharon shared something else with her children and others: her love of good food. She was an excellent cook and an excellent baker. Because they were home with her throughout the day, her children watched and absorbed her love of good food and her culinary abilities, something that is very much a part of who they are today.
Another thing Sharon passed on to her children, and grandchildren, was her love of animals. Many photos of Sharon as a child show her posing with her various pets. Likewise, throughout her adult life, she was never without a pet or two…or even three! Indeed, she brought a kitten, by the name of Curiosity, into her marriage with Bob. Her last pet, her beloved cat, Tika --- who loved her so much that he quickly adapted from free-wheeling outdoor-cat to content indoor-cat --- moved with her into assisted-living for the first few years. Tika loved her so much that he never once tried to escape, even as Sharon’s caregivers came and went throughout the day.
We miss you terribly, Sharon, but we know that you are at peace now, and that you and Bob are probably dancing up a storm…wherever it is that you are.
Last, but definitely not least, we would like to express our heart-felt gratitude to the staff at Sun Pointe Village, for all the love, care and compassion they gave to Sharon throughout her final years. You are truly beautiful human beings.
A private celebration of life will be held at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to your local animal shelter.
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