Sharon Gebenini, 69, died on Oct. 28, 2012, in Haines.
A memorial service will be held at Daniels~Knopp Funeral, Cremation & Life Celebration Center at 11 a.m. Saturday. All are welcome to come and share memories of Sharon.
Sharon Gebenini was born on June 11, 1943, in Renton, Wash., the daughter of Roy and Betty Ann (Wilson) Gebenini.
Her early years were spent there where she was raised by her grandmother, Hattie Wilson, who was the wife of the city’s mayor. Her father was in the Army, and when she was teenager, the family was stationed in Germany, where she attended high school. When the family returned to the United States, she went to California, where she graduated from L.A. County School of Nursing.
After graduation, she went to work for a Glendale pediatrician, Dr. H. Nuttycombe. She was a caring and devoted nurse and even took the doctor’s calls two nights a week, helping families with emergencies. She spent many hours on the phone advising and reassuring new parents in the care of their new-born babies.
Due to her love and devotion to children, she remained in pediatrics, seeing many of her young patients grow up to be parents themselves.
She often recruited friends to donate blood to help the terminally ill patients and acted as a second mother to many of them.
She was very much a teacher and a nurturer and had a love and respect for life itself. She mentored and gave freely of her knowledge of medicine to new, young nurses, always ready to support their education. She was devoted to her grandmother and moved her to California to live and care for her until her death.
Always cheerful, she was ready and willing to help others and loved her numerous pet dogs and cats.
Survivors include her dear long-time friends, Dawn Schiller of La Grande and Nancy Whalen of San Gabriele, Calif., and other distant relatives.
She was preceded in death by her grandparents, parents, an aunt, an uncle and a cousin.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be given to the non-profit E.S.T.E.A.M. (Empowering Successful Teens through Education, Awareness & Mentoring).