I have so many great memories of Sharon, I don't know where to begin. We shared our friendship for most of our lives and while we were not always close, when we were, it was as if we never left Wheatland.
I first heard of Sharon as the pretty girl who's dad owned the gas station at Four Corners (East Nicholas). She had already caught the eye of my Mesa Street buddies, Dave Farmer and John Mangrum. As members of the Reverend Dolby's First Christian Church, we were allowed to visit the private swimming pool of Ms. Alice Sweitzer, who lived not far from Sharon's own house at 4-Corners. It was one of those days at the pool when Sharon showed up and we began a friendship that spanned close to 50 years.
From summers on Mesa Street in Wheatland (the longtime hangout of other notorious wild ones like Dave Farmer, Bob Kearney, John Mangrum, Sandy Pitts, Kathy Folkman, Doris Miller and Susan Farmer; Erlene Williams, Sharon Parisio, and Rick Blankenship lived around the corner; and there was Ruth Berkley, Tom and Linda Oakes, Bo Moreno behind us; Beaver Swanson, Rich Peardon, Janet Chausee and Billy Nicholau had already left; and later came Gary Seiler, Rick Pooler, the Milami's, Paul Haddock, Roger Davis, Danny Dearth and Neil Macdonald), at Rev. Dolby's Church, through high school, followup class reunions, visits in Washington D.C. and El Paso, Texas, and finally at our 40th HS Reunion, Sharon and I remained friends and confidants. I don't think we ever understood our own relationship, but we knew we had something special and we spoke about carrying that into our old age'.
Sharon did not always have a happy' life but you would have never known it to see/hear her. She was always cheerful, loud, extroverted, wild, daring, notoriously blunt, honest, and opinionated (aren't we all?!). She took life headon and she made the very best of everything. She had a fabulous family to support her and 3 wonderful children that consumed her love, prayers and conversation. She was a proud and doting grandmother and longed for the future with them.
I can't remember those early years exactly like they were but there are still so many memories of Sharon that I'd just like to share them with you and invite you to add more as you like:
1. Dave, John and I threw Sharon into the pool at Alice Swietzers' when we were about 10 years old. She was the prettiest girl I/we ever knew.
2. Sharon and I were baptized together by Rev. Dolby when we were 12 years old.
3. Sharon decided to come to Wheatland Union High School.
4. She began spending much time with her friend Cathy Middleton on Mesa Street which gave us many opportunities to spend time together.
5. I think Cathy taught Sharon to smoke and of course Sharon taught me; she laughed as I choked on my first Salem cigarette.
6. Sandy Pitts and Sharon were good friends and so the Mesa Street Gang grew.
7. We all spent a lot of time hanging out and would ride our bikes at night. One night we all rode to the Dry Creek bridge and had a wreck on the way home.
8. Sharon began dating Ronnie Cody; Erlene Williams was with Neil Weaks and they became friends.
9. Sharon became a hit in high school but always liked the older and bbadder' boys.
10. Sharon got me drunk the first time, on slow gin (w/o the fizz).
11. Sharon was one of the best dressed girls in school.
12. Sharon dated Wayne Stewart, from Sheridan and leader of one of best garage bands around.
13. Sharon met Robbie. Robbie was our James Dean. Robbie was from East Nicholas and he had a '62 white Chevy with a 409. Together they were the real American Grafitti love story or at least mine.
14. I left in 1967 and didn't see or hear much of Sharon until our 20th High School Reunion. She and Robbie had separated by then and because she was taking care of her family, she was unable to spend much time at the reunion. Still our friendship was rekindled, fueled by endless stories of days gone by.
15. I guess that sealed our 'pact' to each other and the future would bring us together again.
16. We spent much time on the phone and when I was assigned to Washington D.C. Sharon decided to visit. The way she reacted made me feel like Walt Disney and she was visiting my Kingdom. It was her first trip the to Capitol and she let everyone know it.
17. I had to work during some of her visit but would give her daily instructions on where to go and what to do. Sharon turned each day into an adventure, not only for herself but for all those she came in contact with. One night like worried parents, Rita and I waited for Sharon to return home very late. I was sick with worry on what might have happened to her and how I would explain it to her family. But of course in true Sharon style, she breezed in like nothing had happened. That story coupled with her exploits that day in DC have made the rounds of many a nostaligic conversation.
18. Sharon visited next in Ciudad Juarez and entertained my Mexican friends at a party for a grand opening. A dressy affair for many, Sharon wore a matching shorts outfit and while she complained that she should have worn something more formal, it was Sharon at her best - the one and only. Needlesstosay she captured many an audience and I heard nothing but positive comments about my 'wild' friend for months afterward.
19. At our house in El Paso, Sharon met with Diane Wagner, Sandy Pitts, and Linda Rocha -- enough said..
20. Sharon became a favorite visitor and my houseman, John, not able to keep all the 'new' names straight, dubbed her 'Oh My God' because Sharon was able to say that phrase more times than most people include expletives into their conversation. Eventually, many of our friends (and hers too) began to refer to her as Oh My God.
21. I had many telephone conversations with Sharon after that and of course we were always planning our next meeting. She always wanted Rita and I to be assigned to somewhere exotic where she could visit.
22. We met when David Farmer passed away but she could not bring herself to attend his funeral. I was upset with her but I tried to understand and while I pouted for awhile, we soon began speaking as if nothing had ever happened.
23. Sharon was visiting her mother in hospital when she hear loud voices across the hall got her attention. Only too late did she find it was David Farmer. She always swore that had she known, David might be with us today. I can't help but believe he would.
24. We began to make arrangements for the WUHS Reunion and Sharon was excited to help find people and make plans. She was exceptionally keen on finding Sue Westfall and Debbie Zielinski. We did finally locate Sue but unfortunately, they were never to meet. Sharon also cherished her reunion with Sharon (Parisio) Sequeira and they became friends again.
25. Sharon had a great time at our Reunion functions and could not say enough about how happy she was to see so many people, especially that could still be friends. Of course many of 'our' friends couldn't be with us.
26. Sharon was disappointed when I told her that Rita and I were going to Saudi Arabia and she could not visit. She was planning an alternate randevous of course.
27. She was really excited about her new friendship with Sharon Parisio and got much pleasure from reliving the past as well as looking forward to the future.
28. She swore to Sandy Pitts that they would reunite in California and hopefully grow old together.
29. Sharon was planning to meet me in Las Vegas in December but I had to delay until January.
It won't be the same . . .
I'm sure I'll remember many more of the great times I shared with Sharon and I know many of you have your own memories.
I hope you will share them with all of us in her memory. Please do put your memories on the Message Board at our WUHS66 website.
CHERISH what you have today. Send an email to a classmate. Make plans to visit or phone when possible. Rekindle old friendships. Have a mini-Reunion. Help me plan for our next 'official' one in 2011.
Among my fondest memories of Sharon is the fact that so often she was forced to sit in the front of the classroom so she could be close to the teacher in an attempt to help her pay attention and not act out. Needless to say, this seemed to be an opportunity for her to be on stage. She loved the spotlight and the rest of us were her audience. I still remember her constantly turning around and making funny faces or reactions for us all to see. Sharon was able to find humor in any situation - even a boring classroom lesson. Those of us who seemed to be afraid to even bend the rules always wanted to be just a little bit like her. Sharon had fun and was fun to be around.
What do you say when you lose a friend you've known for most of your life?
I have so may wonderful memories of younger days in Wheatland
and Sharon was a big part of almost every one. She was one of
a kind, being around her was an experience to remember to say the
least. She will always be close to my heart and I will miss her until
day I die. She had big plans for us to live near eachother when we were
both alone again. She even mentioned that she wished I wouild divorce my
husband and move to Sacramento. We had such fun in school, and still to this
day when we were fortunate enough to get together. Lately we visited San Francisco and El Paso together. Steve Bopp and his lovely wife Rita were our gracious hosts in Texas. She will be sorrowly missed my me and all who traveled
within our circle of friends.
Farwell my dear friend, until we meet again/Sandy Pitts
Let me begin by passing on the condolences from our classmates who could not be physically present today but are in mind and spirit:
Sister Gloria Broumas, Butch and Rick Milami, Sandy Pitts, Sharon and Connie French, John Palmer, Sharon Parisio, Linda Staplecamp, Cary Hopking, Diana Wagner, Sue Westfall, Jackie and Kathy Pryor, Lindy Eisenhart, Steve and Diane Walczak, Edna Hayes, and I'm sure many others who were unable to attend for various reasons.
David and I go back to 1959 when I moved onto Mesa Street in Wheatland. He and his cousin John Mangrum owned Mesa Street and it didn't take them long to confront the 'new boy'. It started with a physical contest consisting of throwing rocks and balls and running around the block as well as sprints from one house to another. There were no ribbons passed out that day but a lifelong friendship was begun.
Along with the much younger Bobby Kearney, we were real 'Opies' and Wheatland was our Mayberry. Warm nights were spent in our yard(s) staring up at the stars and sharing our dreams for the future. In the day we went sparrow hunting with our BB guns and hiked to dry creek to gig the ever present carp. When it was too hot or we didn't have the energy we stayed home and threw rocks at the passing trains or bombarded the 'hobo house' which was located at the end of Mesa Street long before Danny Dearth, Roger Davis and Neil Macdonald lived there.
Our local heroes were the likes of Beaver Swanson and Richard Peardon; and, we spent the half-times having our own games, honing the skills that one day might make us one of Coach Torres stars. Many a Friday night after the game, we could be found perched on the window sills of the 'old' Wheatland High School auditorium watching the sock hop and asking ourselves how/why boys danced with girls. We had no worries; we had no Viet Nam and no drugs to coax us from the basic 'good life' we experienced in a small town environment.
I remember us in a very daring moment when we sneaked into the Hobo House and stole a wooden tabletop that stayed on my house as a basketball backboard until my family moved. During one of our highly contested games, David and I engaged in our one and only fight. He always gave me credit for winning, but I knew otherwise.
I moved to Beale AFB for my 7th grade but returned the next year.
David had grown bigger than everyone else, except maybe John Akins and Clifton Chilcoat. We were still at the old elementary school then and David made his mark as a budding football player. Already Coach Torres was aware of him.
We began to notice girls in a different 'light' then and Sharon French became the fantasy of our dreams. Summers visiting the East Nicholas or Swetzer's pool became our own Ridgemont High' experience.
The older guys had graduated high school and our local heroes became guys like Neil Weeks, Carter Hill, Tommy Dobbins, Mike Coontz, Ron Cody and Barry Barnes. They had the cool cars, hung out 'til midnight and had girlfriends. We couldn't wait to cross the threshold and get into HIGH SCHOOL ourselves.
We were excited to mix with the 'unknown' Beale kids that we kept hearing so much about.
We were getting to old now (in our own minds) to lay out in the grass; David and I moved to his father Georges's blue pickup camper or the 18-wheeler he parked behind my house when he returned from his long hauls. Later nights were permitted and now we spent our days and nights becoming the best pool players in town (again in our own minds). In those days David stayed up late, slept in late and was well known for eating steak (which Ruth always made sure was available) and washing it down with alka seltzer. Still today I blame my own fondness for alka seltzer on David.
For the most part, David, Bud Mangrum, Bobby Kearney and I were inseparable. Except of course, when Bobby's dad made him come home or Bud spent the night watching TV with his parents. Dave and I spent much more time together than the other two. There wasn't much we didn't share or know about each other.
Before I moved up to become a bagboy at Wheatland Food Market, David and I got a job raking brush at his grandfather's farm in East Nicholas. We spend many afternoons and weekends but it came to an abrupt halt when the farmhands completed our work in a mere 2 days. We were devastated. But, the bonding we did lasted forever. David taught me to drive a tractor and I told him everything I knew about girls. I DEFINITELY GOT THE BETTER OF THAT DEAL!
Then the Milamis moved to town and our lives changed drastically. We began to hang out at Milamis house and listened nightly to some of the best garage band music around. We were groupies, roadies and critics all in one. Jack and Ruby's was owned by Bub Sullivan's parents by then and it was still our favorite hangout but Friday nights were dedicated to the Milamis where we all used their telephone to further our romantic interests. Those girls would probably still faint today if they knew how many guys helped arrange and discussed every date.
As time passed we forged friendships with the Beale guys like Gary Seiler, Rick Pooler, John Pooler, Bob Rathbun and Jack Sipple. Gary and Rick even moved into Wheatland eventually. It was during this period that David and I began our love for motorcycles; we already were lost causes when it came to cars.
Turning sixteen was another milestone. Although David was the youngest of us (not counting the kid Bobby Kearney of course) but Ruth made sure he was the first to have a car - her car! It was a big white Mercury and it's a wonder we didn't wear the motor and mufflers out just starting and gunning it, never leaving the driveway! There were many other cars and motorcycles in David's life and I think you could divide his life into segments or chapters related to each of them. There would be a chapter on his first real car, the 4 door yellow '57 Chevy and the '56 Chevy Bel Air he bought from Richard Peardon (Bobby and I are still jealous). Then there was the chapter when he had the turquoise '58 Chevy Bel Air which he and Norma used in attempting to make Jasper Lane a 4-way intersection one night. Oh so many trips to Jasper Lane, Beale Capeheart housing and Camp Far West.
There's just so many stories I'd like to share with you but I'm sure you all have you own special stories about/with David. For being so quiet, unassuming and shy (at least in those days) David touched so many people in different ways. His list of girlfriends was the only thing that outnumbered his cars.
But of course we all know NOTHING was more important for David than his eventual LOVE and MARRIAGE to NORMA who bore him two great children: David Jr. and Jackie (named after Jackie Pryor, Bobby Kearney's wife).
While I only saw David a few times after leaving Wheatland in 1967, we did keep our friendship and were able to get together. There were a lot of phone calls and we spoke about our friends who passed before us, like Terry Milami and Jack Sipple. We never forgot the GOOD YEARS and said how happy and proud we were to have been raised in Wheatland at that time. We agreed that no matter how long it was between visits, we would always be FRIENDS we knew we could call each other on any occasion and get the help we needed
I always knew that I could return to Wheatland and David would be waiting for me at Bill's Place, Red Hill or the Silver Dollar. He didn't care where I'd been or what I was doing, only that I was back!
My best memory of Sharon was in PE class, of all things! Somehow, Sharon and I were teamed up for the badminton unit. We seemed an unlikely pair, since I knew Sharon as a bit of a 'wild child', and she knew me as the opposite -- a straight-arrow scholastic type. We did have one thing in common -- we both hated PE!!! Despite all of this, for some unknown reason, we turned out to be a great badminton team ( I suspect it was much more of Sharon's talent than my own), and we won most of our matches in the final tournament. This, of course, drove Miss Robinson crazy, because she was not accustomed to giving good PE grades to the likes of Sharon or me! I think Sharon and I both felt a personal connection after that. We laughed about it together when we saw each other at the reunion this past summer. I agree with Chris, that those of us who always followed all the rules, admired Sharon for her ability to bend them. We all wanted to be a little like that.
