Sharon Weld Obituary

SHARON IRENE (WILT) WELD. April 18, 1942 - April 14, 2023 Sharon was born to Peter and Irene (Engelman)) Wilt in 1942. She attended school in Biola and Kerman. She married Donald Weld on 7/26/1960. They were married ten years and had two daughters, Suzanne and Lindsie. Sharon had multiple interests, hobbies and jobs. She supported herself and her daughters with art sales, commissioned works, art classes for adults and students as well as several other places of employment, These included Chase Flower Shop in the Fresno Tower District, a cotton gin office, then as an employee of the USDA, classing cotton samples across the country. She was the first salaried Executive Director of the Kerman Chamber of Commerce. That position gave her opportunities to use organizational skills as well as her creative energy. She oversaw the annual Harvest Festival and parade, the Kerman booth display at the Fresno County Fair and the community celebration for July 4th. Sharon's friends knew her to be generous, tenacious (sometime stubborn), loyal, visionary, hard-working, kind, and more. Perhaps she would want to be known best as a woman of faith. In the early 1970's Sharon had an encounter with God that set her course for the remainder of her life. Nothing could shake her belief in God's goodness; her trust in Him produced a life of faith in his provision. Working with the youth at Kerman Covenant Church, Sharon gave support through her relationships with the students and accompanying them on trips and retreats. They were treated to her delicious cooking and her loving care. Mission trips to New Orleans and Brazil with her sister Sandy were deeply moving for Sharon and she pitched in with the multitude of skills she possessed, from pure physical labor to tile-setting and more. Sharon was an accomplished seamstress; she not only had an artist's eye for pattern and color, the items she sewed were boutique-quality. She loved sewing clothing and making quilts for her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She also enjoyed sewing baby blankets and collecting clothing to send to Africa with the missions organization 1040i. Her cooking skills produced gourmet meals which she often packaged in small portions to give to friends and family. New moms, surgery patients and victims of illness often received her care packages of food. Throughout the years Sharon used her skill as an artist to provide decorations and floral arrangements for varying events. . . showers, weddings, luncheons, banquets, stage sets for VBS, Kerman's booth for the Fresno County Fair and other venues. A visit to the gardens at Sharon's home was restorative and invigorating to those who stopped to chat and stroll. Heartaches, tears and joy were shared amid the beauty she created there, and one often left with a beautiful bouquet, a succulent cutting, prized tomatoes or other fruit. Sharon was loved by many, her family, church family and friends. Her memory will live on in their lives and her influence of love and generosity will continue. She will be greatly missed but our loss is comforted by knowing she is at home with her Lord and Savior Jesus! Sharon is survived by daughters Suzanne Cason and Lindsie and her husband Bill Eccles; grandson Andrew Tahan II and his wife Sara. Other survivors include: great grandchildren Mila Rose Tahan, 9 and grandson Carter James Tahan, 3. Brother Dennis Wilt and his wife Johnell and sister Sandy Thormann and her husband Jerry. Six nieces and nephews and nine great nieces and great nephews. She was preceded in death by her granddaughter Ashtin Brianne Tahan. A celebration of life for Sharon will be held Monday, May 1, 2023 from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM at Holland Park West, 3855 N. Bryan Ave. , Fresno, CA 93723. A reception there will follow. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www. stephensandbean. com for the Weld family.