Sharon L. Marek

Sharon Lea Marek, 87, passed away Wednesday, October 18, 2023. A memorial service will be held at 1:30 p.m. Monday, October 30, 2023 at Plymouth Church, 4126 Ingersoll Avenue, Des Moines, Iowa. A visitation will be held at the church, prior to the service, at 12:30 p.m. Interment of ashes will be at Resthaven Cemetery.

Sharon was born March 24, 1936 in Syracuse, Nebraska to Elting D. and Elsie M. (Staack) France. She was one of eight children and the baby of the family. She graduated as valedictorian from Syracuse High School in 1954 and attended the University of Nebraska at Lincoln from 1954 to 1955. In 1968, Sharon went back to college and completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Education at Drake University in 1973.

Sharon was introduced to her future husband, Don, in the summer of 1954 by her sister Elsie. Don proposed on her birthday in 1955, and they were married September 3, 1955 in Syracuse, Nebraska. They had four children between November 1956 and May 1962. After she graduated from Drake, Sharon was a music teacher at St. Theresa’s Catholic School for 4 years. She left teaching in 1978 and started her insurance career at Guide One (Preferred Risk) Insurance. She retired as a Commercial Underwriter in 1997.

Sharon was a member of Plymouth Church, P. E.O. International, Fortnightly Music Club, Plymouth Frisbee Club, and the Plymouth Chancel Choir. She loved to sing and began singing in church when she was only 5. She became a member of the Plymouth Chancel Choir when she was 26 and participated actively until 2019. She was a soprano in The Des Moines Concert Singers in the 80’s and 90’s. Sharon loved the challenge of a new piece of music, and she loved her choir friends. Sharon enjoyed crossword and jigsaw puzzles, playing bridge, attending the symphony, reading, gardening, and baking, but most of all, singing.

Sharon was a generous person and shared what she had to offer with abandon. One of her proudest moments was giving a kidney to her friend, Homer Hansen, in 1999. Her gift gave Homer ten additional years with his family. She said she would always remember the moment she called him to say, “Homer, we’re a match!”

Sharon and Don loved to travel, and they had many adventures together, visiting Europe multiple times, Australia, Canada, and many, many places in the U.S. Several of their trips were with the Plymouth Chancel Choir, which made them that much more fun for Sharon. They loved to visit National Parks and enjoy the beauty of nature. They hiked the Grand Canyon with Kathleen and other family members. They went white-water rafting and took a train trip through the Rockies. They took a schooner cruise on the east coast, cruised to Alaska, and cruised the Caribbean with the Hansen’s. They loved to share travels with their family when they could, and provided a trip to Yellowstone in 1998, and to Mackinac Island in 2006.

Sharon was a second mom to her children’s friends - Bill, Nancy, Jana, Larry (and probably many others). Fresh bread, cookies, pie, popcorn, homemade cherry jam – the best kinds of kid-foods were ever-present. There was never an empty tummy at her house, and there was always more than enough food, laughter, and love to go around. She was a ‘cool’ mom!

Sharon is survived by son, Scott (Lucille Bernal) of Norwalk; daughters, Celeste (Dennis) Goodrich of West Des Moines and Kathleen (Lynn) Johnson of Omaha, NE; son, James (Susan) of Granger; seven grandchildren, Amanda Marek Jaschke, Rachel Marek, Nicholas Goodrich, Andrea Goodrich Reeves, Miles Marek, Mason Marek, and Mitchell (Meredith) Marek; and two great-grandchildren, Wyatt Goodrich and Enzo Jaschke. Sharon was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Don; and her siblings.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Food Bank of Iowa or the ChildServe Foundation.