<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1689780904/s2xkr0w0sqiocerjkl1p.png" style="width:600px;display:block;vertical-align:top;margin:5px auto;text-align:center;position:relative;max-width:100%;cursor:pointer;padding:0px 1px;-webkit-user-select:none;box-sizing:inherit" /> Thank you for contributing to Sharon's memorial fund created to support one of her favorite missions, Special Olympics Idaho. Sharon started her career at the Child Development Center working with young children with developmental disabilities. After 8 years there, she transitioned to Lincoln Elementary School as a Special Education teacher where she remained until she retired. Special Olympics was her favorite organization to donate to and we are asking friends, family and loved ones to celebrate Sharon's memory by supporting the athletes of Special Olympics that she cherished so much.  SHARON LOMBARD OBITUARY Sharon Hopper Lombard, of Twin Falls, ID, passed away after a long illness on June 30, 2023. Sharon celebrated her 80th birthday on March 6 this spring, along with her husband, Gene (Buzz) Lombard, and three children, Mike Rice of Danville, CA; Laura (Rice) Doherty of Baltimore, MD, and Daniel Rice of Falls Church, VA, and eleven grandchildren. One of 10 children, Sharon was raised on a farm outside of Caldwell, ID. As a 4-H champion, Sharon could cook, can, and sew with the best of them, which benefited her husband and children immensely. Her 5 brothers and 4 sisters were her greatest friends during her lifetime, and the large tribe of nieces, nephews and in-laws who followed were equally dear to her.  Sharon graduated from Caldwell High School in 1961 and received a bachelor's degree in elementary education from the University of Idaho in 1968. Sharon met and married Miles Michael (Mick) Rice while at U of I, and they had three children. Though that marriage ended in divorce in 1970,  Sharon and her Rice in-laws remained friends for life. Sharon moved to Twin Falls in 1970 as a single parent with her three children. She wasn’t alone, though, as she had the support and friendship of her beloved brother, Mark Hopper, who lived in Twin Falls. Mark helped Sharon through that difficult period and had an impact on her three kids which continues to this day. In Twin Falls, Sharon began working at the Child Development Center, teaching young children with special needs. She received her master’s degree in Special Education in 1978 and began teaching at Lincoln Elementary School, where she remained until her retirement in 2004. She found her true calling as a special education teacher. Sharon could - and did - teach anyone to read, and made her classroom a calm, positive, fun place for students to experience success.  In 1974, Sharon married Gene (Buzz)  Lombard. Buzz and Sharon enjoyed 49 years of marriage. Buzz and Sharon enjoyed traveling around Idaho and surrounding states, often to visit family, watch their kids in sports, or to visit Buzz’s cows at Gray’s Lake. Visiting grandchildren also featured prominently: Jack and Chloe in California; Riley, Will, Anna Violet and CJ in Baltimore; and Mara, Ben, Cassie, Desi, and Sharona in Falls, Church, VA. Trips to Jackpot, Nevada were frequent, and not too costly. During Sharon’s last years, Sharon’s health required much care and support, and Buzz responded throughout with a level of love and tenderness that deeply moved her children and other loved ones who witnessed it.  The family would like to give special thanks to Dr. Waters of Twin Falls who cared for Sharon for decades, to Dr. John Ryan of Salt Lake City for extending her life for 7 ½  years through innovative treatments combined with old-fashioned compassion and attention, and to the doctors and nurses at St. Luke’s Hospital for their expert and tender care at the end. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1689781056/xzil6glygzpf1gg6qtq3.jpg" style="width:285px;display:block;vertical-align:top;margin:5px auto;text-align:center;position:relative;max-width:100%;cursor:pointer;padding:0px 1px;-webkit-user-select:none;box-sizing:inherit" /> Thank you for supporting Sharon's passion and Idaho's bravest athletes!

Hello,  Thank you for celebrating Sharon's memory by supporting the mission and athletes of Special Olympics! Sharon loved all the great ways her students with intellectual disabilities were empowered through sports. She was an advocate for the Special Olympics message of inclusion and acceptance. Thank you for remembering her by supporting her passion for service to others. If you would like to contribute further, contact Special Olympics Idaho to find out how to get involved locally. Please feel free to email Opey Penaloga, Special Olympics Idaho Chief Operating Officer, at opey@idso.org. Thank you again for your contribution honoring Sharon's memory.  Blessings,  The Family of Sharon Hopper Lombard