Obituary of Sharon Ann Crowther

It is with great sadness that the family of Sharon Ann Crowther announces her passing on Thursday October 6th, 2011 at her residence in St. Andrews, NB. Born in Halifax on July 31st, 1961, Sharon was the devoted wife of Edward Trippel, mother of Anna and Evan Trippel, darling daughter of David Crowther and the late Maureen Crowther, sister of Peter [Jennifer], sister-in-law of Bernie Trippel [Grace], aunt to Drew, Aidan, Jonah Crowther and Julia Trippel, niece to Blair McKay [France Baillargeon], cousin to Kyle Mckay, Eric Crowther [Karri], Valerie Crowther and Pamela Killens [Neil]. Sharon’s life touched an incredible number of people, both musically and academically. Her talents were revealed early when growing up in Moncton where she performed lead roles in high school musicals and sang with the Young Acadian Singers. Upon graduating from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Music degree in Voice Performance in 1983, Sharon continued to pursue her passion for the arts as a soprano with the Canadian Opera Company from 1984 to 1989. After living in Germany with her husband and settling in St Andrews in 1990, she continued to perform with Opera New Brunswick while raising two children. Sharon later discovered another passion and an innate talent as a teacher. In 2003 Sharon received a Bachelor of Education degree with Honours from the University of New Brunswick and, shortly after, began her teaching career at Vincent Massey Elementary School in St. Andrews. Her enthusiasm, dedication, and professionalism became an inspiration to all her students, many of whom credit her with teaching them to believe in themselves. She exhibited outstanding leadership qualities in the classroom and after-school activities, contributing to her community and various organizations through music and theatre. She was a Member of the St Andrews Arts Council, on the Board of the New Brunswick Youth Orchestra, Director of the Shiretown Singers and the Passamaquoddy Voices of the Bay. Sharon was an adjudicator of provincial music competitions, a voice coach to young students, conductor of her elementary school band, choir, and school musical productions. Sharon has recently been nominated for the New Brunswick Minister’s Excellence in Teaching Award. Sharon was unselfish, modest and had a remarkable ability to see the underlying qualities in others. While Sharon had many wonderful accomplishments, most importantly she was a loving mother and wife, devoted daughter and sister, and a loyal friend. She will be greatly missed, and always remembered. Heartfelt thanks to the oncology staff of Saint John Regional Hospital and all the caregivers and nurses within the Extra Mural program who helped Sharon through her last days. A celebration of her life will be held at All Saints Anglican Church, King Street St. Andrews on Sunday October 16th, at 2:00 PM. Reception to follow at the Parish Hall. For those who wish and in lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to the Canadian Cancer Society or the Canadian Diabetes Association.