Sharon Ruth Thomas Cecil



Sharon Ruth Thomas Cecil, 63, died in Christ February 19, 2017. She was born in Niles, Michigan on July 24, 1953 and grew up in Paris, IL. After graduating from Paris High School, Sharon attended Bob Jones University in Greenville, SC for a year before moving to Chattanooga to go to nursing school at Baroness Erlanger Hospital School of Nursing. It was a friend from nursing school who introduced Sharon to her husband, Alvin, and they were married shortly thereafter in 1973. When she completed her nursing training, Sharon continued to work at Erlanger Hospital.

For over 35 years, Sharon worked as a registered nurse in many facets - General Med-Surg, Newborn Nursery, ICU, IV team, TPN team (one of the founding nurses), and the Miller Eye Center, concluding her career at Erlanger Hospital as a Pre-Admission Testing Coordinator for the Miller Eye Center.

Sharon also served as Treasurer for the Alumni Association for Baroness Erlanger Hospital School of Nursing for over 10 years. She worked in the EMT Training Program at Chattanooga State Community College teaching their IV therapy module in the 80's and 90's.

She was an active member of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church. She had a lifelong interest in sewing and taught herself how to sew as a result. From sewing patches on her children's and their friends' scout sashes to making Halloween costumes and dresses to mending anything and everything for family and friends, she continued to develop her passion for all things needlework by also learning Filet Crochet and crocheting baby blankets. Sharon was an avid reader, loved watching the news, and collecting cardinals. She also enjoyed spending as much time as she could with her grandchildren and granddogs.

She was preceded in death by her mother, Mary Ruth Thomas.

Survivors include her father, Arlis Thomas; husband of 43 years, Alvin Cecil; children, Patrick (Karie) Cecil, Jeremy (Sarah) Cecil, Joy Cecil, and John Thomas Cecil; grandchildren, Cathan, Megan, Charlee, and Katherine.

A funeral mass will be held at 11 AM Thursday at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church. Burial will follow at Mount Olivet Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 4-8 PM Wednesday and from 10 - 11 AM Thursday at the East Chapel of Chattanooga Funeral Home, 404 South Moore Road.