Sharon Wynn died on Saturday, March 24, following the recurrence of breast cancer. A private graveside service and interment was conducted at Waco Memorial Park under the direction of Pecan Grove Funeral Home. A memorial service to celebrate her life was held Monday, March 26, at Lake Shore Baptist Church. Sharon was a Waco ISD Model Science teacher and named honorary Waco ISD chairperson for the 2007 Komen Race for the Cure. Sharon touched the lives of hundreds of students and friends and left the world a better place. Sharon is preceded in death by her mother, Leona Wynne. Survivors include son and daughter-in-law, Rob and Justine; a daughter, Rhonda Williams; grandson and granddaughter-in-law, Daniel and Linda Edwards; other grandchildren, Sydney, Alexis, Tessa and Nolan Wynn, David and Sarah Williams, and great-grandson, Andrew Edwards. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Sul Ross or Provident Heights Elementary Schools for the beautification and development of their outdoor science garden or the Komen Race for the Cure.
Dying educator taught students, co-workers how to live
March 25, 2007
By David Doerr
Sharon Wynn, a veteran Waco Independent School District educator, lost an 11-year battle with breast cancer Saturday, but not before teaching a few more life lessons during her final days, colleagues and friends say.
Wynn, 64, died Saturday after entering hospice care about three weeks ago. She worked in the classroom until she could no longer bring herself to make the trip to school, said Debbie Sims, her friend and principal of Sul Ross Elementary School.
“The difference between a good and a great teacher is being passionate,” Sims said. “She was definitely passionate and looking for ways to get those kids engaged. There was no just sitting at the desk.”
After undergoing a mastectomy and radiation treatments in 1998 to combat the cancer, she suffered a resurgence last summer. Doctors determined that breast cancer cells had escaped removal and spread to her bones.
For the past two years, Wynn worked as a “model teacher” in Waco ISD, where she specialized in science at five elementary campuses. She worked with teachers at those schools to improve their instruction by “modeling” successful teaching strategies.
Despite her relentless work ethic, she made a list of 13 things to do with her friends and family before she died. She managed to mark off 10.
Before she died she said her only regret was not being able to complete a 10,000-mile motorcycle ride through all 50 states to raise breast cancer awareness. Friends and family hope to turn out a large contingent to honor Wynn during Saturday’s Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in downtown Waco. The race begins at 8 a.m.
Betty Murphy, a former principal of Provident Heights Elementary, said Wynn was constantly “pushing the limit” when it came to encouraging kids’ interest in education. Wynn once got an Apache helicopter to land at the school to inspire the students, she said.
“We all learned some really valuable lessons because in reality we had six months with her on some borrowed time,” Murphy said. “She taught us how to embrace life and how to appreciate it to its fullest, enjoy it and reflect on it.”
Katina Kelley, who worked with Wynn at Provident Heights, said Wynn was always there to challenge and rally behind her.
“Sometimes I needed both,” Kelley said. “Sometimes I needed one or the other. She loved kids and really, really wanted to not just teach them about the subject she was teaching but about life and how to live.”
In a Nov. 19 Tribune-Herald article, Wynn said she was determined to be positive and confident regardless of the situation.
“No matter what others might be thinking, I really like to live on the edge,” she said. “I don’t admit that to too many folks. I have a fear of missing something. If you are not living that close, you might miss something.”