Sharon
Wynn, 64, of Waco, died
Saturday, March 24, following the
recurrence of breast cancer. A
private graveside service and
interment will be conducted at Waco
Memorial Park under the direction of
Pecan Grove Funeral Home. A memorial
service to celebrate her life will
be held 4 p.m. Monday, March 26, at
Lake Shore Baptist Church. Sharon
was a Waco ISD Model Science teacher
and named honorary Waco ISD
chairperson for the 2007 Komen Race
for the Cure. Sharon touched the
lives of hundreds of students and
friends and left the world a better
place. Sharon is preceded in death
by her mother, Leona Wynne.
Survivors include son and
daughter-in-law, Rob and Justine; a
daughter, Rhonda Williams; grandson
and granddaughter-in-law, Daniel and
Linda Edwards; other grandchildren,
Sydney, Alexis, Tessa and Nolan
Wynn, David and Sarah Williams, and
great-grandson, Andrew Edwards. In
lieu of flowers, donations can be
made to Sul Ross or Provident
Heights Elementary Schools for the
beautification and development of
their outdoor science garden or the
Komen Race for the Cure.
Waco Tribune-Herald
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Deceased educator leaves behind
legacy of courage
‘Model teacher’ dies after arduous
battle with cancer
By David Doerr
Tribune-Herald staff writer
Sharon Wynn, a veteran Waco
Independent School District
educator, lost an 11-year battle
with breast cancer Saturday, but not
before teaching a few more life
lessons during her final days,
colleagues and friends say.
Wynn, 64, died Saturday after
entering hospice care about three
weeks ago. She worked in the
classroom until she could no longer
bring herself to make the trip to
school, said Debbie Sims, her friend
and principal of Sul Ross Elementary
School.
“The difference between a good and a
great teacher is being passionate,”
Sims said. “She was definitely
passionate and looking for ways to
get those kids engaged. There was no
just sitting at the desk.”
After undergoing a mastectomy and
radiation treatments in 1998 to
combat the cancer, she suffered a
resurgence last summer. Doctors
determined that breast cancer cells
had escaped removal and spread to
her bones.
For the past two years, Wynn worked
as a “model teacher” in Waco ISD,
where she specialized in science at
five elementary campuses. She worked
with teachers at those schools to
improve their instruction by
“modeling” successful teaching
strategies.
Despite her relentless work ethic,
she made a list of 13 things to do
with her friends and family before
she died. She managed to mark off
10.
Before she died she said her only
regret was not being able to
complete a 10,000-mile motorcycle
ride through all 50 states to raise
breast cancer awareness. Friends and
family hope to turn out a large
contingent to honor Wynn during
Saturday’s Susan G. Komen Race for
the Cure in downtown Waco. The race
begins at 8 a.m.
Betty Murphy, a former principal of
Provident Heights Elementary, said
Wynn was constantly “pushing the
limit” when it came to encouraging
kids’ interest in education. Wynn
once got an Apache helicopter to
land at the school to inspire the
students, she said.
“We all learned some really valuable
lessons because in reality we had
six months with her on some borrowed
time,” Murphy said. “She taught us
how to embrace life and how to
appreciate it to its fullest, enjoy
it and reflect on it.”
Katina Kelley, who worked with Wynn
at Provident Heights, said Wynn was
always there to challenge and rally
behind her.
“Sometimes I needed both,” Kelley
said. “Sometimes I needed one or the
other. She loved kids and really,
really wanted to not just teach them
about the subject she was teaching
but about life and how to live.”
In a Nov. 19 Tribune-Herald article,
Wynn said she was determined to be
positive and confident regardless of
the situation.
“No matter what others might be
thinking, I really like to live on
the edge,” she said. “I don’t admit
that to too many folks. I have a
fear of missing something. If you
are not living that close, you might
miss something.”
A memorial service to celebrate her
life will be held at 4 p.m. Monday
at Lake Shore Baptist Church, 5801
Bishop Drive.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be
made to Sul Ross or Provident
Heights elementary schools for the
beautification and development of
outdoor science gardens or the Komen
Race for the Cure.
Reproduced
with permission of
the Waco Tribune-Herald, Copyright 2007
