The title (translated "Good morning, Princess") comes from the theme tune to the film "Life Is Beautiful", and was the music that Sharon came down the aisle to on our wedding day (
listen)....and for nearly 4 years now, it was also my immense privilege to wake up every morning next to her.
So many recent posts on the blog have been dealing with bad news about health and all of the tough times that she simply glossed over and got on with....In loving memory of the most special human being I have ever met, I would like this final entry to be one of thanksgiving and happy memories of someone that affected many of our lives.
Many people reading this will have known Sharon from much earlier on, when she was growing up in Midleton, when she attended college, or when she started working at RCI.
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| Sharon sat in between Heather & Elaine |
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| Sharon (on left) with her Mum & Sister |
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| Sharon with her husband to be |
My own memory of Sharon started on 14 January, 2000. I'd moved to Cork for a temporary work assignment and had been invited to a church meeting on that Friday evening. As the new boy, I expect I tried to hide discretely in the corner of the room, but simply remember being struck instantly by the godly person who was leading that meeting. Being a young guy at the time, I also found it hard to not notice that she was very pleasing to the eye.....
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| Meeting Ralph in Munich |
We became close friends over the following months, and finally broke my silence to Sharon on how I felt, sat on a rock down at Inchydoney beach in West Cork.
Rolling the clock forward a few more years, that same beach was the scene of another special conversation. It was where I proposed....and she said "yes" :-)
Quite simply, 18 July 2009 was the best day of my life. My bride looked stunning and I realised I was operating way out of my league. A special day with lots of happy memories. Everything just felt so perfect.
That feeling of things being perfect changed shortly afterwards when Sharon got news that she had breast cancer. And yet, despite tears and contemplating a challenging future, my wife was incredibly strong and faced up to it with an immensely positive attitude.....something which she maintained through the remainder of her life. She is my role model for facing up to unbelievably daunting circumstances with strength and courage.
I hope you may agree with me, that she was a special friend to many people. She was a faithful friend, always thinking of other people. She had a heart for children and dearly loved our nieces and those of other friends.
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| With the Carlaw Family |
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| With Alisha, Luana & Celina |
It was a tough one for us both to realise that we would not be able to have children of our own. I suspect that is why Sharon threw herself even more into loving others....given the chance, she would have made the most incredible mother (but I am unashamedly biased).
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| Holding baby Shannyn |
Any health issues in no way hindered her from being the perfect wife to me. We had to work through life as with any other married couple. However, Sharon exemplified love to me and I had so much more to learn from her. As a husband, I felt the utmost respect from her and loved her all the more for it.
This is all a bit heavy, so I think it's time to lighten up....
Many happy memories of booking a last minute trip somewhere nice. Sharon would frequently get accommodation through her workplace and we would quickly pack our bags and head off. We were so, so fortunate that she worked for such an amazing company as RCI. Full of fantastic people and will forever be grateful for the way in which the company have taken care of her whilst facing this battle.
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| Pictured with Paul |
We managed to pack a lot of travelling into our married lives together....Thailand, Australia, Switzerland, Canary Islands, Morocco, Portugal, plus lots of exploring within UK and Ireland.
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| Koh Samui, Thailand (July 2009) (Honeymoon) |
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| Elephant Trekking, Thailand (July 2009) (Honeymoon) |
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| Koh Samui, Thailand (July 2009) (Honeymoon) |
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| Sydney Harbour Bridge, January 2011 |
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| Sydney Harbour Bridge, January 2011 |
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| Hot Air Balloon, Alice Springs, January 2011 |
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| Pancakes In Paradise, Surfer's Paradise, January 2011 |
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| Uluru (Ayer's Rock), January 2011 |
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| "Summer Bay" (Home & Away), Sydney, January 2011 |
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| Twelve Apostles, Great Ocean Road, January 2011 |
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| Great Ocean Road, January 2011 |
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| Feeding our family of koalas, January 2011 |
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| Gran Canaria, April 2012 |
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| Switzerland, May 2012 |
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| With Steve & Ruth, Scotland, June 2012 |
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| Olympic Games, London, July 2012 |
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| Cape St Vincent, Portugal, September 2012 |
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| Lisbon, Portugal, September 2012 |
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| With Leslie & Evelyn, Lanzarote, October 2012 |
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| Eden Project, Cornwall, December 2012 |
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| St Michael's Mount, Cornwall, December 2012 |
However, if I'm being honest, Sharon didn't have a clue how to travel lightly. Most of my luggage allowance would be taken up with her things. I am grateful to Amazon for inventing the Kindle which helped reduce the amount of books I had to cart around for her.
Although we both enjoyed the buzz of getting to see various places, Sharon especially naturally desired that we had a place of our own. Somewhere we could call our home. This finally became a reality recently when we completed the purchase of our first house in April. The day after getting the keys, Sharon went downhill with her health and spent the next fortnight in hospital. In fact, there were many hospital visits and stays whilst we struggled to get the place decorated and furnished ready for us to move. It truly breaks my heart that Sharon never actually got to live in the house and something that I am struggling to deal with right now.
I know she would want to thank all the love that people showed to help us in these recent weeks.
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| Thanks Ash! |
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| Thanks Rob & Julian (& Sue & Sarah)! |
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| Thanks Mum & Andrea! |
Despite the prominent place that she held for her family and friends, the most important aspect in her life was her relationship with Jesus. Out of all the endless attributes I could list about my wife, this was the most attractive.
I had so much to learn from her as I saw God's love in action at very close quarters. I know that many of you may have seen this for yourselves seeing this love being lived out in Sharon's all too short life.
At the time of writing this, all I feel is the senseless pain of a Sharon-shaped hole in my life...I'm sure others will be feeling the same. Sharon's time here with us held great meaning....we are all the richer for knowing her. I am the most blessed of all to have loved her as my wife. I will continue to love her and do all I can to share the memory of what she stood for and the example she set to us.
So, I may not be able to wake up in the mornings from now on and say "good morning, princess" but I want to state how privileged and blessed I was to have her in my life.
I will always love you, Mrs Pearce!
If you have any tributes to Sharon, please feel free to leave as a comment. Also, if you have any photos with Sharon in, and would like to share them, I will update them below if you can email them to me.
Thank You!
Posts
Dear David what a wonderful, beautiful picture of your Princess.
ReplyDeleteSean and I met Sharon when she was 15, I still remember her seated in the corner of the tent, with Peta by her side as we spend time together studying the Scriptures at a MCC camp. It was not long after she had lost her mother. The other day looking through our farewell book given by to us the Midleton church, we found her loving note to us, there we found out that she had started her journey with Jesus at that camp. What a privilige. Sharon had always a smile in her face, it seemed that nothing could shrink the joy she had in her life. I deeply admired her, as she continue to walk with Jesus even when at times, as a teenager it mustn't have been easy not to haver her mum around.
Though we lost touch because we moved to Dublin we knew if her marriage and then sadly of her sickness. At a moment like this words don't see to convey the pain of loss and questions come and go, but at this time we want to remember her short life well lived and her beautiful smile.
Peace,
Ana
Hello Dave,
ReplyDeleteOnce in a time I was passing by and keeping an eye on the blog always with fingers crossed hopping the medical conditions of Sharon would improve.
Today I am without words and have to say that it is one of the saddest days of my life. I have never been good at writing but I don't want that to keep me from letting you know the deep sympathy I feel for you at this time.
I want to let you know that I am here for you if you need anything.
God bless you.
Bruno
A wonderful post Dave, but then it is of course about Sharon, a wonderful person :-)
ReplyDeleteWe share and confirm all your biases...she would have been a wonderful mother, seeing how she (and you) spent time with our kids.
I remember those early Cork days and knew she was on a slippery slope when she wore that England rugby jersey when we went to the game in Dublin :-)
May God bless you through these days,
Ralph (& Cherie)
I will always remember her gentleness, care, openness and that huge incredible smile that lit up her face, and many people's lives. She was my relay worker in Dublin 1996/7.
ReplyDeleteThis blog is an inspiration and a lovely tribute to her memory. It will live on encouraging others in trials and difficulties. I can't even begin to imagine how big and painful that Sharon-shaped hole in your life is. You do know that God will fill that with his love and gentleness and grace. It wont happen overnight, nor will you want it to. Sharon's presence is too close now. But down the road, we pray you will be encouraged to live on, and not just exist.
Chris
A very fitting tribute to a wonderful woman Dave.How do you follow that!
ReplyDeleteSometimes we are blessed by some amazing people that come into our lives and I for one was all the better for having the pleasure of knowing and working with Sharon.I have never known such courage and bravery shown by you both throughout this blog.She was a kind,gentle caring lady who will be sadly missed by all.
Always in my thoughts and prayers
Siobhan xx
Dear Dave
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry to hear this news. What a wonderful tribute you have posted here to Sharon and it truly does capture everything that I had come to know about Sharon. I cannot even begin to contemplate your loss and my heart is truly with you right now. As you know I met Sharon seven or so years ago when I first started working with her on a project. I remember feeling a little scared of her at first. How silly that was and since then I learnt what a wonderful human being Sharon was. Kind caring always putting others first. She was a joy to work with and class as a friend. For you though Dave you have been a most wonderful friend, husband, companion to her in good times and in very hard times and you too are a credit to her in the wise choice she made in accepting you as her husband of choice you are a credit to yourself and to her. For you now you must show the same care for yourself in how you looked after Sharon and although this will be as hard a task in some ways, take strength in that she will willing you on all the way. Take strength in your strong faith and pray hard for guidance and God will guide you.
With much Love
Chris
What a wonderful tribute to a wonderful woman x I worked with Sharon many years ago in RCI Cork. She was such a mentor to my colleagues & I :-) She's was a beautiful person inside & out & I know she is in heaven now happy, pain free & with her mum x Dave , my prayers are with you now that you can grieve for Sharon & eventually see the way forward xxxxn
ReplyDeleteThanks Dave for the beautiful tribute and photographs. I am struggling so much to put such a wonderful friendship with Sharon into a short tribute. I feel so priveleged and honoured to have had over 20 years of friendship with her, sharing laughter and tears, joys and disappointments. In a world where so many search for a faithful friend, I am overwhelmingly grateful to the Lord for having had Sharon as a loyal, trustworthy and genuine friend.
ReplyDeleteA few memories..
My first memory of Sharon was her relentless participation in a full fledged water fight on the boats on the lake at Castlemartyr during MCC camp, as teenagers. We all soon learned that Sharon was always up for a bit of fun and a whole lot of adventure. She was the driving force behind many's a party, trips to the beach, late night coffee's at Calypso's etc.
One of my most memorable summers was spent with Sharon in France. We studied at Grenoble university and had an absolutely incredible adventure packed summer while we were there, climbing mountains, cycling, swimming, exploring waterfalls inside a mountain. We worked at two hotels during the summer. And served at a wedding at one of them. To this day, I think we both detest aubergines from eating leftover moussaka from that wedding, for a whole week.
Another amazing memory Bryce and I have is the time we spent with you and Sharon in Canada...Ripsaw, the car thief, the broken wing mirror, the helicopter ride, the hotsprings...
You and Sharon in recent years have always been, and always will be like celebrities to our children. 'Big Dave', as you are always called in our house, and Sharon would arrive in, loaded with jellies and treats whenever they visited. As soon as you came in the door you would be submerged under a torrent of children. As soon as Sharon, came in the door, one of the children would very quickly disengage themselves from the wrestling match to ask Sharon "Would you like to see my room?"(Translation - would you like to play with me, all by myself, in my bedroom?!!) Sharon would always oblige but usually the 'all by myself'part failed to happen, as all the children piled up the stairs to play with Sharon!!
Sharon loved her family. From when I got to know her, she always talked about her Mum and Dad, Heather and Tommy and later the girls, Roger and Orla, Andrew, and all her aunts and uncles in Rosscarbery, Youghal and elsewhere. My first memory of you and Sharon, Dave, was the spraying of a bottle of 7-up all over Sharon at Midleton Park hotel. I knew right then that Sharon had fallen for you and it soon became evident that she genuinely loved you with all of her heart. You have been a wonderfully supportive companion to Sharon in the most trying of circumstances,an incredibly committed friend and a truly dedicated husband.
Sharon was always such a cheerful friend and had an ability to cheer others up by her presence. When Sharon walked into the room, it was like an extra light bulb was switched on. She always listened, always encouraged, always remained steady and calm. All through my friendship with Sharon, her predominant quality, was her love for Jesus. Her life radiated His self-sacrificing, giving and selfless love. She pointed me to trust Him in my most challenging and difficult situations. Nothing I have ever faced has been anything remotely close to Sharon's last 4 years of battling cancer, but I am so grateful to have been able to watch so closely Sharon's example of strong inner courage that trusts in a faithful Heavenly Father when the brokenness of this life is a daily reality.
A few years ago, Sharon, wrote in the back of a book she gave me:
"En toi je me confie, ô Éternel! Je dis: Tu es mon Dieu! Mes destinées sont dans ta main;"
"I trust in you, Lord; I say, “You are my God.” My times are in your hands;" Psalms 31 v 15 &16
We love you, Sharon. We love you, Dave, and are always, always here for you.
Love Carolyn (and Bryce, Nathan, Abi, Jonothan and Hannah.) xx
I didn't know Sharon very well, I just remember her from church in Cork. When I found out about this blog and that she was sick I prayed every day for her. She was such an inspiration to me because of her positive attitude despite such difficult times especially so soon after getting married. I could really tell that she loved Jesus especially because in all things she was joyful and thankful. I was so sad to read of her passing but it is comforting to know that she is pain free with Jesus now. I will continue to always keep you in my prayers Dave and that God will help you every day because I can't imagine how hard it must be for you. Her attitude and love for Jesus really inspires me to be a better person.
ReplyDeleteVictoria.
Big Dave,you are and always have been both Big Dave and a legend as Carolyn stated. I am so sorry for your loss.Sharon was a really great woman and anytime I met her she had a wonderful smile on her face.I am so gutted for you cos ye were two legends of people SO suited for each other.I love this tribute you have put together for Sharon.It was beautiful and appropriate.I'm praying the God of peace comforts you at this time.God bless you Dave
ReplyDeleteMarcas
I haven't been in touch with Sharon for many years and didn't know her well but I met her in church in Cork when I was there for about 6 months in 1999. She was one of the people I got in touch with more and I remember her as always smiling, friendly and helpful. I was looking for a job and she helped me get an interview at the RCI. It's a long time ago and I don't remember if we were in touch for some time after I moved back to Sweden but she definitely remains one of the people I remember most from that time in Cork. I was very saddened to hear about her illness when I reconnected with Claire in 2011, and have been reading the blog now and then, more frequently during the last few months. I work in cancer care (partially at least - it's a ward for respiratory diseases) myself and I'm glad to know she received such top quality care.
ReplyDeleteYou've put together such a beautiful tribute post, and what a lovely idea to use the blog for people to leave their condolences and tell about their memories of her. What a lovely page for you to keep as a memory.
So sorry for your loss - you and other family & friends are in my prayers.
/Susanne
Hi Dave,
ReplyDeleteI had the privilege of working with Sharon in RCI and have many happy memories during her tenure in IT. Sharon was such a positive influence and a joy to work with. I was so happy to see both of you when you visited Cork last year and it was great to meet you.
My deepest condolences for your loss and my thoughts and prayers are with you, Sharon and all your family.
Thank you for your moving and evocative tribute. We will remember her always.
God Bless,
Darren Lynch
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteDear Dave and all Sharon's family
DeleteIt is hard to put into words what Sharon meant to us.
When I went to Castlemartyr on Sunday to our MCC camp, memories came flooding back of all her involvement with us in the work of Munster Christian Camps .First she was a camper and then she served on the Committee for many years and was such a great committee member, always working away quietly and getting lots done. The campers loved Sharon.
Her friendship started with Olwyn as a teenager, they became closer when she lost her Mum, they had an 18th birthday celebration together with Joy Tromsness as their birthdays were all in the same week.
Then she and Carolyn ended up in UCC together and so Sharon continued to be involved with the Smyth family, as you can see in Carolyn’s piece above. Always things going on with Sharon and the friends: helping at Carolyn's wedding doing all the little things that she could do so well.
She loved the Lord and wanted to serve Him in all of her life, and His love shone through her radiant smile.
What great joy you brought to Gordon and I when you visited at Christmas, it was such a precious time together. Our orchid is still flowering.
We will always be amazed at your prayerful care for us even when things were much harder for you both.
Dave, she will not be forgotten and we trust you too will keep up with all her friends as we so not want to lose two friends. We are so grateful for the way you cared for Sharon in all these difficult months and were by her side encouraging her on day by day. What an example of shining for the Lord in every situation.
May God continue to be your help and sustain you in these very difficult days.
Loving Christian greetings Ruth and Gordon
Hey Dave. This is Bryce on Carolyn's ID.
ReplyDeleteWe've been flooded with memories of Sharon over the past days and her example has given us pause for reflection and for thankfulness to God.
A few things that I will always remember about Sharon.
Loyalty - Sharon may well be the most loyal person I ever met in my life; and I've met some very loyal people. Hers was a very unique and steady loyalty. She was trustworthy and personally faithful. It was a loyalty of genuine love. She was so loyal that she was willing to go through personal harm and injury for the sake of those she loved; this quality reminded me of my Lord Jesus who exhibited such faithful loyalty in the ultimate way.
Meekness - Meekness being, a courageous strength that humbly trusts God in trying circumstances. There's no doubt that Sharon displayed plenty of this character quality.
Generosity - It was basically impossible to outgive Sharon. She was amazingly generous; and she also married into generosity.
I will remember many things about Sharon; but these are some of the character qualities that stood out to me very prominently.
Loads of great memories: How our wives put up with our regular curry cravings. The time we went to Galway and stayed for only about 24hrs, yet filled a shopping trolley full of treats for our short stay (how many trifles did you have in that trolley?!); Sharon just laughed at it all. The Cowboy night at the O'Keefe Ranch. A New Years trip to Swindon -- our girls shopped...a lot! I think Sharon was Carolyn's favourite shopping companion.
I thank the Lord for such great friends and for so many experiences we shared together. We thank God for Sharon's life; it was a gift to us all. Though Sharon has left this earth and is with the Lord; her legacy lives on here in the many lives she touched.
Dave, we continue to treasure our friendship with you and our prayers and thoughts are with you.
Bryce
Dave words cannot express my awe at you beautiful tribute to your beautiful wife. Thank you. I worked in RCI for many years and only got to know Sharon in 2008 when we were both of "fiancé" title - a sure opening for a girly bonding session. I can remember almost immediately feeling that we could be good friends. She was just so lovely. Once she had moved to the UK I was fortunate to nab her for lunch on her return visits, when she would spend the first few minutes asking about my kids and I'd spend the next 20 talking about them. As with so many others I checked in on your journey via Sharons blog . Last week i was down in Youghal with my family for our holidays , I checked the blog on Thursday evening, ye were in my thoughts every minute from then. At 6.30am on Friday morning I was talking my dog for a walk on the beach when Rihannas song "Diamond" came on my iPod. The song seemed so apt . I believe Sharon is a diamond. An impermeable rock of beauty and now an angel who will shine bright forever.
ReplyDeleteYou are a diamond too Dave, you are a shining example of someone who loves completely, Sharons smile came from a deep internal happiness and you kept that shining. I'm so happy ye shared such pure love and am so sad that its been cut short. I hope you have the strength to look after you now Dave as much as you looked after your amazing Sharon.
Again I humbly thank you x
Isabel
Sent from my iPhone
Dave,
ReplyDeleteI have looked at this post about 4 times a day since you posted it. It's just so beautiful and makes me very thankful to have the privilege to say I knew Sharon. I knew Sharon through Mum and Dad - I'm pretty sure I was at that camp that Mum was talking about, although not quite old enough to be a camper! I used to love when she would come back from her trips away and look at her pictures and think "I want to do that some day!" One of my fondest memories of Sharon is just before we moved from Midleton to Dublin. As a farewell, Sharon brought me shopping. I went to hers and we had a sleepover and the next day we went shopping - she had a lot of patience to put up with a 10 year old and her shopping ways!! After spending all my money, I found a jacket that I sadly could not afford. When I got home I went into my room and found a bag on my bed with the jacket in it. I thought I had accidentally stolen it, but realised Sharon had bought it for me and hidden it in my room. What a special woman!
Sadly when we moved to Dublin, I didn't keep in contact, but I remember arriving to one MCC Camp at the end of a senior camp and being so jealous of Stephen and Luke because they had Sharon (and you) as their leaders. What a wonderful woman that all these years laters, I have such special memories.
You have painted a beautiful memory of Sharon with this post and I am thankful to you for that. Praying for strength for you and all those close to Sharon at this difficult time.
Melanie x
Dave,
ReplyDeleteThat is a lovely tribute to a lovely person. I have lots of great memories of Sharon particularly during my time in UCC and the weekend we spent in Austria with you, Sharon, Ralphy and Malcolm. She was such a positive person and I'd very much agree with Carolyn in that she lit up a room whenever she came into it. I will always remember her for her big smile and how she was so generous with herself and her time. You always benefited from spending time with Sharon.
My prayers and thought are with you in this very difficult time,
JohnO
I do not know if anyone is still keeping tabs on this blog, but I'm taking the chance that that is the case. My name is Karin Maresh and for several years during the 1980s-1990s, Sharon and I wrote to one another; we were "pen pals." I remember the excitement I felt upon receiving letters from my friend in Ireland!!
DeleteEarlier today, I spent time going through an old bin of letters and papers, deciding which to keep and which to toss. I tend to keep a LOT of my items; I'm a theatre historian and sentimental. Anyway, I came across many of the letters Sharon wrote to me and thought to try Googling her. Could we reconnect after all these years? I believe we last were doing regular writing sometime around her mother's passing.
I am heartbroken to know that she passed at such a young age and after a difficult illness. The letters and photos I still have from her now mean so much more. I know none of you, her friends and family know me, but please know that Sharon influenced me greatly, in the best way. I ended up completing a masters and doctorate in theatre history, choosing to focus on Irish theatre in each program!
I am happy to know that Sharon had a lovely and exciting life despite her illness. I wish I had done better at keeping in touch.
Much love,
Karin