Obituary of Sharon Ann Hughes

LODI LAKE HOUSE 1032 Laurel Avenue Sunday April 16th 1pm - 4pm Open House with Refreshments MEMORIAL SCRAPBOOK Feel free to bring a photo or a print-out of your favorite story or memory to decorate a page. Art Supplies Provided Suggested Parking: Enter Lodi Lake Park at 1101 W. Turner Road $5 Per Vehicle

Sharon trained at the dental school of the University of Oregon and became a dental hygienist, a career that lasted more than 25 years. She always talked about her time at Dr. Harry Bader's office, here in Lodi, where she was his first hygienist. She made many wonderful life-long friends there. They all felt they lost a bright star when Dr. Bader passed away in 1994. After dental school, she moved to Palo Alto, where she met our father, Richard Loyd Hughes, while they were living in the same apartment complex. Once, he attempted to borrow her television set, but Sharon's housekeeper chased him away with a broom, certain he was a burglar. Sharon and Richard married on November 23rd, 1965, at the United Presbyterian Church in Spokane. They settled in Lodi, eventually residing in the former home of Richard's parents, George and Vivian Hughes, on Lodi Lake. Richard served several times as a Lodi councilman, and twice as mayor. He was instrumental in founding, and served as chairman for, the Northern California Power Agency. Among other things, he testified (successfully) in front of Congress for the City of Lodi's right to escape the PG&E monopoly. Concerned for Lodi's future energy independence, Richard and colleagues built the Geysers, a geothermal plant that provided clean, natural power to the small consortium of cities involved in the project. Richard died at Lodi Lake on July 12, 1984, walking family dogs. He was the love of Sharon's life, and she always said, all the way to the end, "a room would light up for me whenever he entered it." They were both 46 when he died. She never remarried. It would be impossible to chronicle Sharon's life without mentioning how she found and met the Lord, in the late 1970's. At the time, her favorite minister could only be found on FM radio, on a station unavailable inside the house. Every Sunday morning, she would pack up her Bible and notepad and go sit in her car in the driveway to tune in. The rest was history. She loved traveling to Hawaii and to New York City, both destinations she visited repeatedly over the course of her life. The trip to Israel was a once-in-a-lifetime experience she treasured. But most of all, she loved to be home at Lodi Lake, where friends and family (and sometimes strangers) would find her ready to welcome them at Grandma Vivian's big wooden table in the foyer. Everyone remembers the endless hospitality; the variety of choose-your-own teas and coffees and hot chocolates, and cookies and treats. (Although she wasn't cooking any of it.) Continued Over the years, Sharon built a legacy of Bible studies and classes. She would open her home and heart to a group of thirty for the Gospels….or to just one person interested in, perhaps, a very minor Minor Prophet. From this, so many true friendships were built, and Sharon was fortunate to have a legion of friends supporting and loving her in these last years. Over the last two years, her health had begun to decline, but Sharon was adamant to live life on her terms, enjoying everything she loved and not worrying about medical topics. In late December, after a routine knee surgery, she developed complications. She died on Friday, December 30, 2022, at Lodi Memorial Hospital. She was continually attended by the most caring of staff, and her final moment was surrounded by her three children and a few close friends. We feel blessed and incredibly fortunate to have had a mother like Sharon, and we are grateful that we could be with her in her final moments. Sharon is survived by her three children: Suzan L. Hughes of Sacramento; Stacey L. Hughes of New York City; and James A. Hughes of Los Angeles. She is also survived by her granddaughter Bethany S. Draeger and nephew James E. Byrne. Sharon liked to say: if you want to be happy in life: be grateful, and be generous. She contributed generously in both time and money to many charities throughout her life; too many to chronicle. One especially close to her heart is "Jews for Jesus", and the family would appreciate any donation in her honor (www.jewsforjesus.org). She would also be very happy for donations to her daughter Suzy's favorite organization, "Happy Tails", a pet rescue in Sacramento (www.happytails.org). Sharon leaves behind many with a hole that will never be filled again. Her kindness, humor, common sense and unique outlook touched everyone she met. However, in spite of her zest for life, she had been looking forward to this day for decades. We can only imagine her joy meeting, at last, her Savior face to face – and reuniting after forty years with our father Richard – and seeing again many much-loved, departed friends. We can only be glad for her, and we look forward to seeing her again.