Sharon Osthus was a member of Cross of Calvary Lutheran Church and lived in Olivia for nearly 40 years. Her lifelong passion for the community and Cross of Calvary was very evident in her daily walk with Jesus Christ.
Sharon was very involved with the church over the years as she used her many talents and her passions of quilting, cooking, and volunteering to help countless church fundraisers, bazaars, and dinners.
Sharon and her husband Rod, raised their three children; Katie, Thomas and Anne with the love, support and faith of Cross of Calvary. Each of their children were Baptized, Confirmed and in regular attendance of Sunday School each and every week as they grew up.
Being a part of the church community was a major part of Sharon’s life until she was diagnosed with Leukemia in November 2007. On February 8th, 2008, Sharon received a bone marrow transplant at the University of MN in the Twin Cities. While the transplant was a success Sharon had to spend a grueling 13 months in the hospital away from home.
What ultimately helped Sharon overcome cancer was her constant commitment to what she referred to as the “Three F’s” — Faith, Family, & Friends. Throughout her ordeal she was blessed with countless visits from family, friends and Pastor Matt Hausken.
Despite living cancer free, Sharon’s body had taken a toll and mobility became very difficult for her. As a result Sharon really embraced the use of technology and the internet to stay in touch with everyone through email and Facebook. While this really helped her stay in touch with friends and family she still craved for a place online where she could stay up-to-date with what was going on with Cross of Calvary and the worship services. She always wanted a place where she could receive weekly or even daily updates, news and/or events on what was happening at the church. She would have loved to be able to hop online to listen or watch videos of previous sermon’s right from her computer as she sat in her hospital or living room.
Sadly, Sharon passed away suddenly on January 14th, 2011, from a Hemorrhagic Stroke.
After Sharon’s passing our family had to take on the difficult task of going through Sharon’s possessions and figuring out what should be done with her personal items.
While we knew Sharon had a lifelong passion for quilting, no one had any idea of the enormous scale that Sharon’s collection of quilts, fabric and quilting tools had actually amounted to.
There was a sign that hung in Sharon’s Quilting Room that read “The quilter who dies with the most fabric wins.” Well, if she didn’t get first place she certainly got second!
As a family we knew it would have been an injustice to simply put it in storage in hopes that one of us would someday take up quilting. Instead we decided to hold a Memorial Quilt Sale so Sharon’s fabric and tools could be used to make even more quilts for soldiers, loved ones, children and especially grandchildren!
So on March 26th, 2011, with an enormous amount of help from Sharon’s best friend Cindy Thiesse and countless other women from the community we held the Sharon Osthus Quilt & Fabric Memorial Sale at Max’s Grill in Olivia. The event was a resounding success as we raised over $9,000. That money was given to Cross of Calvary Lutheran Church with the intention of building and maintaining a website that would help spread the Good News of the Gospels in memory of the wife, mother and friend of Sharon Osthus.
As her family, it is our belief that Sharon would have loved to visit such an interactive church website like the one that exists today. We truly hope the Cross of Calvary Lutheran Church’s new website can help you strengthen your daily walk with Jesus Christ.
Love,
Team Osthus
