Sharon Ann Irick

Sharon (Morgan) Irick, 69, of Dallas, TX passed away on Monday, October 26. She will be remembered as a devoted mother, wife, sister and friend to all that knew and loved her. She was born in Bakersfield, CA on September 4, 1946 to Tom H. and Barbara Jean Morgan, and spent her childhood and young adult years in the Bakersfield area. She was the eldest of three siblings and a beloved niece and cousin to her extended family. While in kindergarten, Sharon met David Irick, who would later become her husband of 49 years. The two went through their school years together, and began dating as teenagers. They graduated from East Bakersfield High School in 1964, and Sharon went on to attend Bakersfield Junior College. Shortly after her college graduation, Sharon and David were married on July 23, 1966. David entered the United States Air Force in 1965, and served for four years at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. After their marriage Sharon also began working at Vandenberg within the Strategic Air Command (SAC). She was the Administrative Assistant to several high ranking officials including Colonel George Halsey and General William M. Garland. While Sharon participated in scheduling missile launches, David worked in communications for the missile launch enable systems. Sharon continued working at Vandenberg supporting the family while David finished his college degree at Cal Poly, SLO. In 1970, Sharon and David welcomed their first child, Christy Ann. The family lived across California, including Santa Maria, Long Beach, Chico, and Visalia. They also spent time in Salt Lake City, UT, and Danville, KY. While in Danville in 1983, thirteen years after Christy’s birth, they welcomed their second daughter, Jessica Lynn. Surprise! In 1986, the family moved together one more time and settled in the North Dallas area. Soon after David and Sharon started their own business, Production Controls & Automation, which they operated together for almost twenty years. In 2004, Sharon joined Linda Tycher & Associates as Office Manager where she has worked for eleven years, sharing close friendships with her colleagues.

In her younger years, Sharon spent a great deal of time engaged in her favorite activities including skiing, softball, tennis and golf. She most enjoyed spending time with family on vacations. Sharon loved the beach and the ocean, and was especially fond of Pismo Beach, CA. She spent many cheerful, sunny days there as a child with her parents, siblings, and cousins and continued to visit once a year as an adult with her own children. She would regularly wake up early to walk the beach at low tide, in search of the perfect sand dollar. In the afternoon she would pass the time sitting outside reading a good book, gazing at the ocean, and watching for the whales and dolphins to pass by in the distance. While raising Christy and Jessica, Sharon was very actively involved with her children’s schools and the PTA. Loving, good humored, and endlessly patient, she was close to many of her daughters’ friends, and enjoyed keeping in touch with them as they grew up. While her daughters both migrated to New York after college, Sharon always encouraged and supported them in pursuing their careers and speaking with friends and family about their accomplishments. Though she lived in Texas, Sharon also remained close to her family in California. She was a central figure in the Morgan/Irick family, and the loss of her warm, steady presence will be deeply felt. Sharon is survived by her husband, David Irick; daughter, Christy Irick and husband Jonathan Kirk of Utica, NY; daughter Jessica Irick Peek and husband Christopher Peek of New York, NY; sister Kathleen (Morgan) Lamley and husband Merrill Lamley of Bakersfield, CA; and brother Dean Morgan of Bakersfield, CA.