Sharon A. Flugaur

Sharon Ann Flugaur, 70, wife, mother, "Grammy", friend to many and a Stevens Point Community Partner in every sense, passed away on June 8 at Marshfield Hospital surrounded by family.

Born on February 7, 1954, to Mary Ann and Gaylord Repinski, Sharon proudly called Stevens Point home her entire life, graduating from Pacelli High School in 1972. After that, she attended nursing school and worked as a licensed practical nurse for six years.  She then graduated from UWSP as valedictorian in 1983 with a degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders - Speech and Language.

She married the love of her life, Thomas Flugaur, on August 3, 1974, at St. Stephens Church in Stevens Point, kicking off a nearly 50-year storybook union—he was quarterback, she head cheerleader, though they were each other's lifelong cheerleaders—and a decade later welcomed two children.

When Sharon committed to anything, she was all in on everything. From coaching her children's teams in Odyssey of the Mind, a competitive problem-solving program involving theatrical performance (i.e., coaching first-fifth graders how to re-enact, for example, The Iliad), to Community Partners, which took on new life under her 20-year tenure as program director.

She had multiple jobs throughout her life, once explaining that she wanted an extra long obituary. She wrote quizzes for Renaissance Learning, often reading (and writing quizzes for) more than five books per week. She also ran her own stores, "On This Day" on Main Street and, later on, the Quilting Studio, what she called a "hobby job" after retiring.

But it was serving as director of the United Way of Portage County's Community Partners Program, pairing adults who had special needs with volunteers from the community, that proved a perfect match for her gifts of compassion, dedication and leading by example. With Sharon's guiding hand, the program greatly expanded, blossomed and bloomed. She brought the program to the hallways of SPASH, connecting special education students with other student mentors and friends for weekly lunches and excursions like holiday shopping, Brewers games and dance performances. Sharon herself told the Stevens Point Journal, "What is so neat is that within two weeks these students come to know each other. They open up to each other. They realize they have much more in common than they are different." Because of Sharon's work, the program serves as a beacon and a blueprint for other schools to foster a sense of volunteerism and acceptance.

Sharon gave her all at home, too. When she became a mother, she put her professional career on hold, caring for her children at home in their early years, and later picking them up and dropping them off at school and the many, many after-school obligations (such as flag football and dance), in addition to cleaning and cooking every night. There was something of a strict schedule—beef stroganoff on Monday, spaghetti on Tuesdays, cheeseburgers every other Thursday, etc. Basically, she ran the whole show, and earned the nickname "Sergeant Khaki Pants" for her preferred style of trouser.

Another nickname, given by a family friend, was "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah," for she marched to the beat of her own uptempo, happy drum, lit from within with a positive, can-do spirit and vibrant life force that her small frame could barely contain, but one she brought with her wherever she went.

As partners and parents, she and Tom were Rogers and Astaire, their every step taken in unison, leading with trust and love. They did most everything together, and enjoyed hosting friends and family, attending athletic events and traveling to Florida, Las Vegas and New York. As a unit, they were creatures of habit, not only traveling to the same places, but staying in the same room in the same hotel, every year. In Vegas, this meant returning to the New York, New York hotel, and reserving a room that ended with "07," because that meant it was in the corner. This all extended to church, too, where for years they'd religiously sit in the same pew (second row on the left).

With Tom, she was a frequent face at Quandt Gym, a die-hard fan of Pointer basketball. Early on, she had even served as a tutor in the writing lab for Terry Porter. She was a proud Wisconsin Badger fan and football season ticket holder and loved, of course, the Favre-era Packers.

Other hobbies included quilting—her quilts are works of art; sewing, knitting (she would frequently knit the entire way to Madison for Badger games and to visit her granddaughter, Mia); painting; as well as entertaining and decorating. Sharon was also a passionate lifelong learner, reading voraciously and widely, oftentimes until very late at night and early into the morning, with names like Charles Dickens, John Irving, and Pat Conroy gracing the spines.

Sharon also, and this cannot go unsaid, was a masterful storyteller. She could engage an audience small or large and have everyone feel a part of it all and in stitches. She was a generous, sharp wit, and had a comedian's timing.

Through it all, Sharon gave selflessly to her family, her friends, and her community. Stevens Point, and the greater community, is better and brighter for having known her, and for having called her one of its own for so long. She had an undying passion for connecting with others, for improving the lives of those around her, and for enriching her community.

She loved and lived Maya Angelou's famous quote: "At the end of the day people won't remember what you said or did…they will remember how you made them feel."

Sharon made everyone feel welcomed, respected and—above all—loved.

She is survived by her husband Thomas, son Brandon Flugaur (Kate Hamilton), daughter Kristin Wessell (Nolan), grandchildren Mia, Penelope, and Crew; Sister Donna Shuda (Mark), Mother and Father-in-Law Ron and Mona Flugaur; and many beloved brothers and sisters-in-law, nephews and nieces.

Sharon was preceded in death by her parents, Mary Ann and Gaylord, and her brother-in-law, Robert Kalpinski.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Sharon Flugaur Memorial Fund held with the Community Foundation of Central Wisconsin, to continue to help improve the lives of cognitively and physically disabled individuals, whom she held dearly.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, June 21, 2024, at Holy Spirit Parish in Stevens Point. Rev. Steven Brice will officiate.

Visitation will be held at Holy Spirit Church on Thursday, June 20, 2024, from 4-7 p.m., with a prayer service beginning at 6:45 p.m. Another visitation will be held at Holy Spirit Church on Friday, June 21, from 9 a.m. until the time of service.

There will be a private burial service at a later date.

Pisarski Funeral Homes are honored to be serving the family.

For online condolences please visit www.pisarskifuneralhome.com