Sharon Rehling

WATERSMEET, Mich. - Sharon Rehling of Watersmeet passed away on Dec. 16, 2024, at home, surrounded by her family.

Born Feb. 10, 1940, in Lyons, Illinois, Sharon was the middle daughter of Edward and Eugenia Linder. She spent her youth in Lyons and Tomah, Wisconsin, and graduated from Tomah High School in 1958. After meeting her husband, Bill Rehling, in 1975, they settled in Mt. Prospect, Illinois, to raise their four sons before eventually retiring full time to the house they built on Allen Lake in Watersmeet.

Sharon and Bill developed a large circle of friends during their marriage, enjoyed an active social life, and traveled extensively. An especially memorable trip was a "Biking Barge" trip with 23 friends who explored the Netherlands by riding off the barge every day, winding their bicycles around windmills and through tulip fields and stopping for picnic lunches before returning to the barge in the late afternoon.

Sharon was an easy hostess, and her table in the Northwoods often was encircled by good friends for wonderful meals and lively conversation. She was a gardener, a seamstress and a gifted quilter. Her home is covered with wool rugs she hand-braided. Sharon enjoyed life to the fullest and was grateful for the good life she and Bill lived at Allen Lake.

As her illness progressed and she was given three to six months, she made a conscious decision to face the future with as much strength and grace as possible, aware she was setting an example for her grandchildren. She stretched those months to three full years and raised the bar of dignity and selflessness for those who will follow behind her.

In addition to her husband, Bill, Sharon is survived by her sister, Mary Etta Pierce of Tomah; her sons, Patrick (Jen) Whitman of Algonquin, Illinois, Darren Whitman of Lake of the Hills, Illinois, Bill (Laura) Rehling of Downers Grove, Illinois, and Jim (Kim) Rehling of Round Lake, Illinois. She is survived further by her grandchildren, Chloe Whitman, Ashley (Nick) Pilcher and Payton, Will, Owen and Jake Rehling.

She was preceded in death by her parents and an older sister, Sandra.

Sharon's laugh, her sense of humor and her love of life will be missed dearly by her family and so many friends.

The family is deeply indebted to Regional Hospice Services for Northern Wisconsin and Upper Michigan in Iron River, for the unwavering care and loving support provided for three long years, which enabled Sharon to live out her days in her beloved lake home.

A celebration of life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations in Sharon's name to the Watersmeet Food Pantry, P.O. Box 11, Watersmeet, MI 49969; or the National Wildlife Federation, online at nwf/org.page/58590/donate/1.

Gaffney-Busha Funeral Home, Eagle River, is handling arrangements. Online condolences may be expressed at gaffney-busha.com.