Sharon M Bacon

Sharon Margaret Bacon (Stolle) passed away on March 5, 2013 at the age of 81. She was surrounded by family during her final days at Hospice of Kitsap County in Bremerton, WA after suffering a brain hemorrhage 10 days earlier.

Sharon was born on October 1, 1931 in St. Louis, MO. Her parents were Roy and Margaret Stolle. They lived in Chicago when she was young, and often shared fond memories of visiting Lily Lake with her grandparents, Fred and Effie. At the age of 12 they moved to the Los Angeles area. She graduated from John Burroughs High School in 1949, and married Cliff Klemesrud. They had three sons and divorced in 1964. She married Arnold Bacon in December of 1969 and they moved to San Diego a year and half later.

Sharon worked as a secretary, bank teller, and homemaker. She thoroughly enjoyed the companionship of her dog, Tiffy. She played the piano. Some of her favorite songs were Edelweiss, Clair de Lune, Greensleeves, and Darktown Strutters' Ball which reminded her of her father with whom she would sing as a young girl. One time, she and her father performed for a large crowd of Marines at Camp Pendelton as part of the USO.

She enjoyed many happy years on Amberly Street in San Diego. A year after Arnold's passing in 2004, she moved to Poulsbo, WA to be near her son, John. Traveling was difficult but she made it back to southern California in 2008 for her mother's funeral. She lived at Liberty Shores for six years, and the last two with Lori and Jason Sharkey in Seabeck, WA. Sharon's family will be forever grateful for the incredible loving care Lori and Jason provided.

Her family was everything to her. She is survived by her dear brother Ronald Stolle and his wife, Barbara; her beloved sons, Greg Klemesrud (and wife Megan), Mark Klemesrud (and wife Eleanor), and John Klemesrud (and wife Maria); her niece, Lynnette (and husband Dave Harvey and son Jorden); grandchildren, Daniel, Jason, Michaele, Kirsten, Jon, and Loren; great-grandchildren, Axel, Johan, Abigail, Margaret, Clara, Jaden, and Gavin; and Arnold's daughter, Cindi Bacon-Gray (and husband Greg and their daughter Madeline).

Sharon was a loving daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend. She was a very sweet lady and will be greatly missed. Nowhere could you find someone with more loving-kindness in their heart.

A memorial service will be at Forest Lawn of Hollywood Hills, CA. The service will begin at 2:30pm on Saturday, March 16 in the Old North Church. Memorial contributions may be directed to the Doris Day Animal Foundation or the Boys and Girls Club of America.

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SOME ADDITIONAL WORDS FROM HER SON, JOHN KLEMESRUD

There are several times of the past that my mom liked to recall. Singing with her dad most evenings after dinner when she was young in Chicago. Her green bicycle. One time when they were visiting a friend's farm in Minnesota, a severe hail storm hit. Her dad told her to get under the bed while he was stuck with the shelter of an outhouse. He was out there for some time before the storm let up. She would also talk about riding on the train when they moved to California.

When I think about the events of her life, it's clear that she had mountains to climb. And as the song, Climb Every Mountain, says, your dreams "will need all the love you can give". That was Mom.

In the final days, I kept thinking about her dreams. I imagined the visions that I hoped she was having. She was in the car with Arnold, her mom, her dad, and Tiffy. They were on their way to Lily Lake to visit her grandparents. Music and laughter. Dolly, Holly, and Tiffy … together … all as puppies running around her. Lake Arrowhead. More music and more laughter.

Her loving-kindness brought a gentle sweetness to the air, and only now that it is gone from this life, do I realize the power it had even when we were apart. Her family and those that knew her well will have to pick up the slack. It will be very hard, but a part of her is in all of us.

It was difficult to be at the hospice place, and it was more difficult to be away. Even though the hardest thing was being there at the final moment, that's what I wanted. That's what she deserved, and I'm so grateful to have sent her off with thoughts of love from her family … and the music of Edelweiss.

Our hearts have been blessed with sound of music, not just the music we hear from a piano or guitar, but the music that has been around for thousands of years … that we hear among the lakes, mountains, and trees. It's the sound of love. She has passed this on to her family. The essence of life itself. Our hearts have been greatly blessed, and I will be dreaming about the time when we can be together again … to "sing once more".

Love you, Mom.

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Here's the memorial video we played at the service.
It's a 53mb file. Best to right-click and save before viewing.
http://home.comcast.net/~klemport/SharonMemorial.wmv