Remembering Sharon Maloney's Kind Spirit

Sharon Lee Maloney

September 28, 1941- November 11, 2024

Once in a while, if you are lucky, you come across someone who reminds you that there is still good in this world. Usually, these people have no idea of the impact they’ve made on your life—simply by being there, simply by being present. My grandma Sharon was one of those people.

Sharon Lee Maloney (Hoye) was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on September 28, 1941, and I am convinced that every day after that, she planted gardens wherever she went. If not literally with soil and seeds, then deeply in the hearts of the people she loved. And she loved profoundly. You might not realize it at first glance—she was reserved, but never cold; unlikely to approach a stranger, but always ready to listen intently and ask thoughtful questions once she knew you. Often, while running errands together, she would let slip a gentle, kind observation about one acquaintance or another.

During my adolescence, when my mother’s mental health declined, our home was often chaotic. But my grandma was never chaotic. She was the steady oak tree sheltering us from the storm—she was constant.

She loved to laugh, and we loved making her laugh, because it wouldn’t be long before tears of joy would be streaming down her face, trying to finish whatever funny story she was sharing. My grandma was all heart, red wine (the cheap kind—nothing pretentious), and dusty rose nails that she always did herself while watching NCIS.

Put simply: Earthside, a few of us lost our home on Monday. Heavenside, many people got theirs back. My grandma joined so many of her loved ones now—her father, Jim Hoye; her sister, Patty; my mother, Michelle; and her late husband, Pat Maloney, who she said goodbye to when my mother was only 16.

Don’t worry if you don’t see signs from her right away. She has a lot of catching up to do.Thank you to everyone who has supported our family during this time.

With love,

Jena Jekums, her adoring granddaughter