Sr. Sharon Sheridan, age 91 of the Sisters of St. Francis in Oldenburg, Indiana, died March 28, 2023 at the convent. Born on November 13, 1931, in Indianapolis, Indiana, she was the first of three children born to Connie (Nee: Boehm) and Bernard Sheridan. Her father worked for the New York Central Railroad; her mother was a homemaker.
Before entering the community, Sharon attended St. Therese Little Flower school in Indianapolis and the Immaculate Conception Academy in Oldenburg. She went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in education from Marian University in Indianapolis and a master’s degree in educational administration from St. Louis University.
During Sharon’s boarding school years, the chaplain of the convent school became her spiritual director. His guidance and understanding had a great influence on her. It was through him that Sharon came to realize her desire for a religious life.
Sr. Sharon served as a teacher, principal and a consultant for schools in St. Louis, Missouri; Cincinnati, Ohio; Batesville, Indiana; Indianapolis, Indiana and Red Lake, Minnesota. For 10 years she served at the Diocese of Gaylord in Michigan as director of family life before becoming the family life director for the diocese of Wheeling, West Virginia. Her experience included child development, parent education, marriage preparation/enrichment, divorce recovery, bereavement, aging and family ministry.
Learning about people was one of Sharon’s passions. She once said, “finding out about their relationships, witnessing the interaction of individuals with those they love or admire is a concrete witness to me of the love God has for us.” Her greatest joys came from nature and the simple things in life.
Later in life Sharon came to enjoy ‘getting her thoughts on paper’ and eventually began writing a weekly family column to assist parishes in setting up family life programs. She also enjoyed word games and playing Scrabble.
When Sharon retired to the Motherhouse in 2008, her educational ventures took a fresh form. For several years she continued to make presentations at Oldenburg Franciscan Center, working on special projects. Using her writing and organizational skills, she prepared reflections for the Center’s blog, and maintained the DVD collection for the Community.
She is survived by her sister Connie Lane as well as several nieces and nephews. In addition to her parents, she is also preceded in death by her sister Carolyn Bumbera.
Visitation will be Tuesday, April 4th from 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. at the convent chapel. Funeral services follow at 10:30 a.m. with Rev.. Kenneth Overberg SJ officiating. Burial will be in the convent cemetery. For those unable to attend, services will be live-streamed at https://youtube.com/live/2FSIsnxkijw?feature=share. Memorials may be made to the Srs. of St. Francis, P.O. Box 100, Oldenburg, Indiana, 47036 (www.OldenburgFranciscans.org). For online condolences go to www.weigelfh.com.