Sharon Frankel passed away peacefully Dec. 5, 2015. Services will be held Dec. 12 at 3 p.m. at Eastgate Bible Chapel.

She is survived by her daughter, Kris Howatt, son-in-law Duncan Howatt, son John Frankel Jr., daughter-in-law Andrea Chek, and her granddaughters Abigail Howatt and Cheyenne Howatt.

Sharon was born in Fairfax, Oklahoma, to Carl Hanson and Neoma «Pat» Hanson. Her father was a decorated World War II hero who served in Europe and North Africa and her mother was a former professional roller skating performer who traveled the region as one of the «Gold Dust Twins». When she was a teen, Sharon’s family moved to Colorado where she attended high school in the Denver area.

Upon graduating from high school, she enrolled in airline school in Kansas City and graduated to work for TWA. She married her high school sweetheart, John Frankel and two years later gave birth to her first child, a daughter, Kristine. Two years later, she gave birth to a son, John Jr.

The family moved to Gresham, Oregon in 1966. After a few years, the family embarked on an adventure and moved to San Juan, Puerto Rico for the father’s work. While in Puerto Rico, Sharon and her family traveled the Caribbean and enjoyed sailing, snorkeling and sightseeing. They returned to Oregon two years later to settle in Damascus.

In 1976, she divorced and resumed her working career to support her family as a bookkeeper and executive secretary. Sharon worked for a number of years as the Plant Manager’s Secretary at Owens-Illinois in Portland. She also served actively for a number of years as the president of the company credit union and traveled to Washington D.C. to lobby on behalf of the state credit union association.

An avid golfer, Sharon was a former president of the Ladies Club at Mt. View Golf Course. She loved gardening and had a green thumb as well as a good sense of color, space, light and structure in planning her gardens. Detail-oriented and artistic, she also built scale replicas of doll-sized rooms using various materials.

She was an enthusiastic stamp collector and wine glass collector. Many in the stamp collecting community recall befriending her at shows and conferences. Her unique and interesting wine glass collection was built from visiting food fairs, wineries and thrift shops as well as from receiving glasses given to her by friends and family who brought them to her from their travels.

Sharon was interested in history and current events and she kept very organized scrapbooks of newsworthy events. Having a sharp mind, she enjoyed solving puzzles and using clues to solve riddles. Those that received notes from her are aware that she possessed the lost art of penmanship. Her handwriting and printing were meticulous even into her later years. She was also an avid reader and enjoyed collecting series of novels (some personally autographed) by favorite authors. Unashamed of her enthusiasm for Neil Diamond’s music, she once camped out overnight with her daughter in a parking lot for concert tickets.

Most of all, Sharon loved her family‰ÛÓand they loved her. She was «Nana» to her granddaughters who she loved to spend time with. She was so proud of her children’s and grandchildren’s accomplishments. More importantly, she was proud of the integrity and maturity that they possessed. She held an important role in helping develop the character of her children and grandchildren.

Sharon bravely fought cancer after her diagnosis over three years ago. She kept a positive spirit as her family drew together to support her through treatment. Over a year later, she was cancer-free but the treatment had inflicted a toll from which she could not recover.

Her life is celebrated by those who knew her and she will be missed in all of our hearts. Our heavenly Father will welcome her bright mind, love for family and great sense of humor.