Sharon C. Ruzicka

Sharon C. Ruzicka, 85, of St. Paul, passed away on Monday, September 16, 2024 at Tabitha at Prairie Commons in Grand Island.

Private family services will be held at Jacobsen- Greenway-Dietz Funeral Home in St. Paul. In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the family for a later designation.

Sharon was born on August 8, 1939, in Taylor, to Earl and Muriel (VanSlyke) Bartholomew. She grew up in Taylor, where she attended Taylor Public Schools. She was united in marriage to John Edward Ruzicka on April 9, 1961 in Taylor.

The couple lived in Taylor, and then on a farm near Farwell. After they retired, they moved to St. Paul.

Sharon was an amazing cook and always had a dessert ready. She was a wonderful stay-at-home wife and mother. She was an active member of the First Presbyterian Church in Grand Island. She also was an LPN for a while, working in the St. Francis Hospital, until her body just could not do that kind of work anymore.

Sharon then attended seminary school in Iowa and received her degree from the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary. She served as a lay minister for many years during school and after graduation. Her hobbies included cooking, sewing, and visiting the ocean. Sharon’s greatest enjoyment in life was her family. She loved her grandkids more than life itself.

Those left to cherish her memory include her husband, John of St. Paul; son, Jeff (Chastity) Ruzicka of St. Paul; daughters, Carrie (Ron) Arp of Brush Prairie, Washington; Lori (Vance) Hansen and Rachel (Mark) Sazama of St. Paul; brothers, Harold (Judy) Bartholomew of Taylor, Jack (June) Bartholomew of Colombus; sister, Gloria Dunbar of Kansas City; grandchildren, Allen (Carrie) Woody, Benjamin (Amy) Arp, Cameron (Lacey) Woody, Joshua Arp, Colin Winkler, Coy Ruzicka, Addie Ruzicka, and Lily and Elliot Sazama; and great-grandchildren, Jayden, Lucas, and Finnigan.

Sharon was preceded in death by her parents and by her brother-inlaw, Larry Dunbar.

Online condolences may be directed to the family at www.jacobsengreenway. com

The Phonograph-Herald | September 25, 2024