Sister Mary Sharone

Sister  Mary  Sharone          ND 4051                PDF Download
Margaret Agnes MATONEY

Christ the King Province, Chardon, Ohio, USA

Date and Place of Birth:                August 5, 1926           Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Date and Place of Profession:      August 16, 1946         Cleveland, Ohio
Date and Place of Death:             October 22, 2016       Health Care Center, Chardon
Date and Place of Funeral:           October 26, 2016       Provincial Center, Chardon, Ohio
Date and Place of Burial:              October 26, 2016       Resurrection Cemetery, Chardon, Ohio

The word love would accurately sum up the life of Sister Mary Sharone. As the fifth of six children, she was named Margaret Agnes by her parents, Joseph and Helen (nee Ringling). Because of  her father’s employment as a construction worker, the family moved to several states before settling in Cleveland, Ohio. For Margaret, family was and always remained a precious gift to be treasured. Her family was a blessing and a source of great joy during her growing-up days of leisure, work and play. Care for those in need was fostered by her loving parents. In 1940 Margaret began her high school studies at Notre Dame Academy, Cleveland, where she came to know and love the Sisters of Notre Dame. It was here that her awareness of God’s call to religious life was strengthened. She entered the novitiate in her senior year on February 2, 1944, with the consent and support of her parents.

At investment, Margaret received the name Sister Mary Sharone. As a second-year novice, she was sent to teach grade two and was very grateful for the guidance of the more experienced teachers! She continued her own education and earned a bachelor’s degree from St. John College in Cleveland and a master’s degree in special education from St. Louis University, Missouri. Sister Mary Sharone ministered for over sixty years in schools and in parish settings as principal or teacher from primary grades to college classes.  Eighteen of those years were spent at Julie Billiart School where she worked with junior high students. She was always aware of the needs of the students, committed to finding the best ways to help them learn. She wholeheartedly participated in school, civic and community activities. Her beautiful smile and her obvious concern for others were gifts offered with an open heart.

When Sister Mary Sharone retired from classroom teaching, she ministered as a Director of Religious Education for fifteen years. In 2004 she moved to the Provincial Center where she found more opportunities to love, pray and serve God’s people. She volunteered at the Senior Center, the local hospital, at St. Mary School in Chardon and tutored at the SND Legacy Project in Cleveland. At the Provincial Center she assisted with activities in the Health Care Center, was a library assistant, took calls at the Prayer Line and in the Archives she used her computer skills to re-type early annals. Sister read from faded onionskin paper copies to re-type pages and pages of entries to preserve the history of our province. She devoted seven years to this precious and painstaking work.

As signs of dementia became evident and Sister’s physical strength diminished, her warm, welcoming smile and twinkling eyes continued to reflect the God who lived within. Sister Mary Sharone loved and was faithful to her life as a religious. She cherished her community and her large, loving family. May she be embraced by the limitless love of our good and gracious God for all eternity.