It is with tremendous sadness and heavy hearts that we announce the sudden passing of a beloved and cherished member of our community, Sharon James. Sharon James was a loving mother, sister and aunt, a skilled and caring parent coach, respected co-worker, and a much-loved friend.

Sharon spent 18 years at Beech Acres Parenting Center. During that time she mastered her craft in working with parents, often helping them find their own strengths to guide them through their most difficult of times. Whether it was through her work with divorced parents; which was her true passion, new parents, blended families, families in crisis, or parents struggling with complex emotional issues she offered hope for a brighter future.

“Sharon personified Beech Acres Parenting Center’s core values throughout her long and prolific career here,” Beech Acres Parenting Center President & CEO James R. Mason said. “In many ways, this work was her life’s purpose. She embraced every opportunity to learn and grow as a person and professional. She generously shared her insights with thousands of others and was humbly open to learning from them as well.  She humbly left an enormous legacy to Beech Acres’ future.  I am in awe and profoundly grateful for what she has done for our mission and everyone she touched. Mine is among those lives most moved. I will miss her deeply.”

For the past few years, Sharon was focused on transforming Natural Strength Parenting™, Beech Acres Parenting Center’s unique strength-based approach to parenting, from simply a loose concept of ideologies into a movement. Dave Brewer, a good friend, and colleague of Sharon’s shared that, “Sharon had a unique presence, was so connected with each of the people who had the privilege of crossing her path. She lifted so many hearts and heads. She had the ability to see into our hearts and be with each of us, to support us in ways that sometimes we did not even know we needed to be supported.”

Though our hearts are sad, we celebrate Sharon’s life and legacy with tremendous gratitude. Her dedication to improving the world every day through her work with parents was a genuine inspiration to everyone whom she met. Her smile was authentic, her demeanor caring yet never judgmental, and her presence was powerful and uplifting. She will be missed.

A memorial visitation will be held Saturday, March 9, 2019, at Hodapp Funeral Home 6410 Cincinnati-Dayton Rd. Liberty Twp., OH 45044 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Memorial donations may be made to Yosemite Conservancy 101 Montgomery Street, Suite 1700 San Francisco, CA 94104.