In this time of heroes and when people of all walks of life are stepping up to help, it is nice to acknowledge when someone makes that special effort. DeKalb County Online would like to salute Sharon Holmes, our DeKalb County ‘Very Exceptional Person‘ for May.
Over the past few weeks, Sharon has made and donated over 500 masks to people who do not have normal access to obtaining a medial of N95 masks. Not just any masks, she has found fabric that matches someone’s career or hobby and made them a unique ‘one of a kind’ mask. She made a US Air Force mask for a veteran, a music mask for an entertainer, and a vegetable pattern mask for a gardener.
Some people may recognize the name Sharon Holmes as she was first elected DeKalb County Clerk & Recorder in 1990 and served the people of DeKalb County for 20 years in that office. She had worked in the office for 13 years prior to being elected. She retired from public service in 2010.
Sharon cannot sit still and volunteers wherever she feels she can be of any help. She brands herself as “a do-er” because she enjoys being with people and getting involved. She spends a lot of time volunteering at the Country Store in DeKalb helping with merchandising and sales that benefit the Family Service Agency. She helps cooks and serves monthly fundraising dinners at her church in Kingston. Sharon is active with her Genoa quilt club that makes many items that are donated to nursing homes, meals on wheels and Hospice.
During this stay at home time, you can find her in the sewing room working on quilts and masks. Sharon and another quilting friend have a craft sale every fall and donate all the money to local school projects. The money from their crafts, quilts, and other fabric items all goes to help needy kids in the school district.
Sharon is married to John Linderoth and make their home in Sycamore. She has two daughters, Jenny Parsons, who teaches 5th grade in Sycamore, and Lisa Kruse-Safford who is a Methodist minister and currently is serving at Crystal Lake United Methodist. Sharon and John have 7 grandchildren ranging in the ages from 10 to 30 that they enjoy spending time with. When not in the sewing room, Sharon enjoys pie baking, which gets her the big thumb’s up from John.
Sharon does not have time to retire, as her mission is to help others with a little fabric, thread, and compassion.
Thank you Sharon for being that ‘Very Exceptional Person‘.
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