Sharon Mae Fassbender

 Sharon Mae Fassbender, 89, of Appleton, passed away peacefully on Friday, July 5, 2024. 

Sharon was born to Harvey and Gretchen Doering on November 7, 1934, in Appleton, Wisconsin. She graduated from Kaukauna High School in 1953 . After high school she attended the University of Wisconsin - Madison, and graduated in 1957 with a bachelor’s degree in biology and education.

Sharon met her husband, Gene, while they were both students, and he asked her on two dates at once. Luckily, the first date went well enough that they still went on the second. They were married in the summer of 1958.

Sharon worked as a teacher for several years, before becoming a full-time homemaker and mother to their three children. 

Sharon was an artist, primarily a painter. She made many of her own paintings and often used them to decorate her home. Her primary work was painting the realistic wooden birds that her husband, Gene, carved. Together they created many wonderful works of art, and while birds were their primary subject, they also made several carousel horses and a 7ft tall giraffe.

Sharon was an avid gardener, and she spent considerable time creating and maintaining the gardens around their home. She developed her own personal techniques in gardening: just throw your bulbs on the ground and dump some dirt on top of them, no digging required! Also, never trust her roses, they might be wired on or spray painted. In addition to her gardening, Sharon had a true love of reading. She could often be found with her nose in a novel, moving from one room to the next, following the best light. Sharon and Gene were world travelers, and they visited some 30 countries together over the years. 

Sharon is survived by her three children, Paul Fassbender (wife Kelly), Jeanne Stein (husband Kevin), and Sarah Fellerer (husband Todd); and grandchildren Sam and Casey Fellerer; Tyler, Shelbi, and Tatum Stein; and Quincy Fassbender; and her sister Kathi Bulfin.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Harvey and Gretchen Doering, and her siblings, William Doering, Greta Atwood, and Scott Doering.

Funeral services will be held at 2pm on Saturday, July 13th, at Touchmark on West Prospect (2601 Touchmark Dr, Appleton, WI 54914). In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to Heckrodt Wetland Preserve in Menasha.