Obituary of Sharon G. McDuffie

Sharon McDuffie Sharon Irene Gray was born in Titusville, Pennsylvania on September 22, 1947 to her parents Melvin and Alzora Gray. She was the third of four children, following Gilbert and Ronnie, and preceding her sister Marilyn. She graduated from high school in 1965, and again from college with a degree in secondary English from Nyack and Edinboro at age 20. She married Cary Tamura at 21, who was then drafted, and they were sent to Germany. After that tour, they moved to Hawaii where she started her journey into motherhood at 26 with her daughter Jenni, and then added Matt a couple of years later. Shortly after, the family moved to Portland, and the NW would be where God planted her for the remainder of her life. Sharon remarried on August 16, 1985 to Scott McDuffie and became a stepmom to Annie, Steve, and Greg. Sharon went on to earn an MS in School Counseling and Psychology in '87 from Lewis and Clark College. She worked at the Children's Program in Portland initially, but eventually moved to Vancouver and enjoyed her 26 years of working for Vancouver, Battle Ground and Evergreen School Districts, where she particularly loved her work with preschoolers. She resigned in 2012 after being diagnosed the previous year with stage 3 lung cancer, one of the 25% of cases who are non-smokers. With the support of her husband, she explored many treatment options, both conventional and unconventional, but ultimately, her life ended much too soon on June 16, 2015 at home with her family surrounding her. Sharon had several passions in life-- her family, including many vacations and overnights with her grandchildren; serving the vulnerable, in particular families with students who had learning disabilities; friendships of great depth, as many considered her an intimate friend; and most importantly her relationship with Christ, who carried her through every trial, who put His Word in her heart as a child, and who ultimately delivered her from suffering to join Him in Heaven. She also was an accomplished quilter, chef, editor, and a gardener. She is survived by her dear husband Scott of nearly 30 years; her children Matt, Jenni, Annie, Steve, and Greg; her grandchildren Asher and Ellis, Jack and Levi, Mark and Dennis, and Laura and Erin and a good handful of others that affectionately called her "Grandma Sharon"; and her siblings Gilbert, Ronnie, and Marilyn. Her memorial service will be held on July 2nd at New Heights Church in Vancouver at 5 pm. In lieu of flowers, she has requested that donations in her memory be sent to the Ameena Project, an organization that feeds and educates preschoolers in Kenya through the empowering of its own community leaders. Straub's Funeral Home & Columbia River Cremation in Camas was in charge of the arrangements. To send condolences or to sign the online guestbook please visit www.straubsfuneralhome.com. Below is a link to RSVP to the memorial service. http://www.evite.com/even/00B9EWODMVKETMFIYEPFC4RVGD527A?utm_campaign\=view_invitation_button&utm_medium\=email&utm_source\=GUEST_UPDATE_RSVP