Sharon Francis Gaffney
October 6, 2015Share using:
Sharon Francis Gaffney, 70 of Dubuque died Tuesday October 6, 2015 peacefully at home.
Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:00 a.m. Saturday October 10, 2015 at the Church of the Nativity 1225 Alta Vista St. Dubuque with Msgr. James Miller officiating. Burial will follow at Mount Olivet Cemetery.
Friends may call from 3 to 7 Friday, October 9, 2015 at the Leonard Funeral Home & Crematory, 2595 Rockdale Road Dubuque and after 9:00 a.m. Saturday at The Church. There will also be a parish wake service on Friday at 3:00 p.m. at the funeral home and a Nativity Guild Rosary at the church prior to Mass.
She was born on July 16, 1945 in Davenport, Iowa the daughter of Billie Ridings Anderson. Sharon grew up in Macomb, Illinois and graduated with a B.A. in Speech Communication from Western Illinois University in 1967.
Sharon married Michael A. Gaffney at St Paul's Catholic Church in Macomb on September 21, 1968. They made their first home in Galesburg, Illinois, where Sharon was a librarian at the Galesburg Public Library. In 1972, the family moved to Dubuque where they were lovingly accepted by neighbors and churchgoers. Dubuque and the Church of the Nativity became Sharon's home for the rest of her life.
Sharon was Adult Basic Education Coordinator at Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC), and a teacher at NICC's downtown Learning Center, where she continued as a volunteer tutor after retirement. Sharon also volunteered at Nativity and served over twenty years as an officer in the Nativity Rosary Society.
Mike and Sharon's marriage was blest by the birth of two children, Loretta Mary Gaffney and Mark Michael Gaffney. The joy of Sharon's life was the arrival of three granddaughters, Maeve Higbie, Charlotte Higbie, and Veronica Gaffney. Sharon delighted in spending time with family and in helping others. She dedicated her life to serving God and other people. She was a generous and kind person who never turned away anyone needing encouragement, assistance, or prayers.
Sharon is survived by her beloved husband of forty-seven years, Mike, her children, Loretta Gaffney (m. Toby Higbie) and Mark Gaffney (m. Anne Schutte), and her grandchildren, Maeve Higbie, Charlotte Higbie, and Veronica Gaffney.
Memorials may be given to the Nativity Rosary Society, Mary's Inn Maternity Home (http://marysinnmaternityhome.org/) or Hospice of Dubuque (http://hospiceofdubuque.org)
The Gaffney family wishes to thank family, friends and the members of the Nativity Rosary Society for helping in so many ways throughout Sharon’s illness.
“Thank you, Jesus, for the gift of my life.”
