Obits
Sharon Marie Dawson-Garrett
Sept. 4, 1960 – May 2, 2023
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. — Middletown lost one of its brightest stars early in May, when Sharon Marie Dawson-Garrett passed away in the company of family at a local care facility.
She was 62, having succumbed to complications from cancer that she had tackled since 2017.
“There was nothing standard about Sharon,” recalled her husband, Tommy Garrett, noting her achievements in painting, photography and writing. “She had an artistic gift, a vision that is rare and one of a kind.”
Born in San Francisco, the daughter of Caroline Marie Wiley-Collins, Sharon was raised by her mother and adoptive father, James Edward Collins, in Menlo Park, Calif. Sharon attended local schools and then majored in fine arts at Santa Barbara State University.
After moving to several towns with her sons, Sharon bought an old Victorian house in Middletown in 1988 and began her photography career. She worked for the Middletown Times-Star as an assignment photographer and, beginning in 1994, authored a weekly column, “Squawkings,” for more than a decade.
In 2014, Sharon’s portrait photography led her to launch “Wave of Hope,” a nonprofit program centered on individuals who had overcome turmoil, with Sharon’s interviews and pictures of the survivors forming the centerpiece of a traveling exhibit. She was awarded a Stars of Lake County Humanitarian Award for her work on the project.
According to her son Brandon, “Wave of Hope” embodied the concern for others that was a hallmark of his mother’s personality. “She never let anyone down,” he noted, adding that as a supportive mom and friend, “she always had your back.”
When the Valley Fire in 2015 destroyed their home, Sharon and Tommy rebuilt a house on the same site. “She wanted to stay near her neighbors in town, whom she called her ‘peeps,’” Tommy remembered.
After her cancer diagnosis, Sharon kept up her creative pursuits, notably writing an account of her medical treatments in 2022, “Suddenly Terminal,” in which she personified her illness as an unwelcome houseguest with whom she argues and ultimately accepts. She followed the publication of that book with a two-volume collection of her “Squawkings” columns, released earlier this year.
Sharon is survived by her husband, Tommy, whom she married in 2017 after 12 years of courtship; her sons Collin and Brandon; her first husband, Russell Dawson; her sisters Susan Nitzel-Blum and Jacqueline Cohen; and numerous cousins and an aunt from the Wiley family. Another sister, Annie Collins, died in 2018.
A celebration of Sharon’s life is scheduled for July 22 from noon to 3 p.m. at Twin Pines Casino in Middletown.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to https://www.gofundme.com/f/42mfj-memorial-celebration?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1 to offset the cost of the memorial celebration.
Those who knew Sharon remember her as the heart and soul of her family, which she extended to include friends and pretty much anyone she met. Hundreds of people have known her for her caring, intuitive heart. She will always be remembered for her soul in her art, photography, and writing.
But lastly, she will be remembered for her humane nature and the caring she showed for her animals and gardens, nurturing them the same way she cared for everyone she befriended.
She leaves a hole in our hearts but will be remembered through the positive things we do to care for other people, the same as she did for us.
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Edward ‘Ed’ Pepper
July 9, 1970 — March 16, 2023
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Ed was born in Mountain View, California.
His family moved to Kelseyville in 1984, and he attended Kelseyville High School where he wrestled and played baseball before graduating in 1988.
He was a volunteer firefighter for Kelseyville Fire Protection District for 13 years (1985-1998) while working at local lumber yards.
In 1998, during his paramedic class, he decided to make a career change and began working for the Lake County Public Works Department.
Ed was dedicated to his family, friends, and community.
He played men’s softball and coached a women’s softball team before coaching youth programs. He coached T-ball, youth softball and Little League, where he also was head of the field maintenance for seven years. He also coached youth basketball.
Ed really loved coaching baseball at Clear Lake High School. He started as an assistant JV coach in 2015 then became JV head coach in 2017, moved up to assistant varsity coach in 2018 and in 2020 he became the head varsity coach.
You could always find Ed coaching several summer leagues and travel-ball teams, he loved the game and being a father figure and friend to all those kids.
Ed also loved to barbecue with his crew! Volunteering to cook at friends get togethers, weddings, fundraisers or any big events in community, you always knew Ed would be there behind the grill with a huge smile on his face. He will be deeply missed by his community.
Ed is survived by his wife of 20 years, Evie; daughter, Zoey; father, Fred; brother, James Seymour and family; and several cousins, in-laws, and friends who were just as much family as his own.
He was loved by so many, Ed couldn't go anywhere without knowing someone.
A memorial will be held July 1, 2023, at Clear Lake High School football field at 10 a.m.
In lieu of flowers you may donate to the Ed Pepper Memorial fund at Umpqua Bank, 805 11th St., Lakeport, CA 95453.
Care entrusted to Chapel of the Lakes Mortuary, 707-263-0357 or 707-994-5611, or visit www.chapelofthelakes.com.
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Gary Wayne Kirk
Dec. 20, 1943 – May 4, 2023
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Gary was born in Fort Collins, Colorado to Dorothy Larsen.
He later moved to Cle Elum, Washington where he received his education.
He worked as a logger and trucker in Cle Elum before moving to California where he met his wife, Barbara Kirk.
Eventually, Gary and Barbara moved back to Cle Elum to raise their own family. Gary worked for the railroad for many years before going back to logging as that is where his heart was.
He later moved back to California to continue his trucking career. Gary and his wife owned their own trucking company, B and G Trucking, for many years before his retirement.
Gary is survived by his children, Trent Wayne Kirk (Cricket), Lila (Steven) Smith, Tinker (Michael) Britt and Damon Bennett; brothers, Larry (Robin) Larsen and Allen (Theresa) Larsen; 16 grandkids, Wiley (Cece) Kirk, Keelie Kirk, Drake Chesebro, Callie Chesebro, Ryder Hedges, Blake (Shayla) Smith, Morgan Wayne Smith-Dejuan Turrentine, Jose Torres, little Gary (Morgan) Britt, Robert Britt, Ashley (Branden) Busching, Nicole Willey, Brian Willey, Nathan Bennett, Bryan Thomas and Jeff Thomas; 14 great-grandkids; all the neighborhood kids who called him Grandpa Gary; several nieces, nephews and extended family members.
Gary was predeceased by his wife, Barbara Kirk; his mother, Dorothy (stepfather, Lester Larsen); sister, Sharon Murry; daughter-in-law, Diane Bennett; and many extended family members.
A memorial service will be held at Chapel of the Lakes Mortuary, 1625 N. High St. in Lakeport on Friday, May 19, at 11 a.m.
Arrangements by Chapel of the Lakes Mortuary, 707-263-0357 or 707-994-5611, or visit www.chapelofthelakes.com.
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
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