Sharon Kale

Sharon L. Kale died peacefully at home on August 11, 2021, surrounded by her husband and three daughters.

Sharon was born to Irene and Charles Cronkhite in Dallas City, Illinois, on December 29, 1939. Her family moved to Pueblo, Colorado, where she grew up with her brother Gary and sister Carol, graduating high school with the class of 1957. She graduated from Seattle Pacific University with a Bachelor’s degree in Home Economics in 1961.  On December 29, 1961, she married Clyde Kale in Pueblo, Colorado, where she worked as a junior high teacher for four years before deciding to stay home to raise her family.

Sharon was active in her various churches, where she also sang in the choir. For many years she was a group leader in Bible Study Followship. She was active in many community and volunteer organizations throughout her life and particularly loved the arts, such as painting, sculpting, woodworking, sewing, and crafting. She was a talented seamstress and tailor, and enjoyed decorating cakes throughout her life. She was a lifelong learner, taking classes in the colleges where her husband taught and in the community. In 2010, she moved to Brainerd, Minnesota with her husband, where she was an avid jigsaw puzzler and scrabble player, and was involved in many activities in their senior apartment. She also traveled to Hawaii and Europe in her later years. She loved to travel and wanted to see as much of the world as possible.

She is survived by Clyde Kale, her husband of almost 60 years; daughters Brenda (Jon) Helt, La Mesa, California; Mindy (John) Fredrikson, Grand Marais, Minnesota; Kathy (Joe) Nelson, Brainerd, Minnesota; and four grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her father, Charles Cronkhite; her mother, Irene Cronkhite; her brother Gary Cronkhite; and her sister Carol Mortenson.