Sharon Jane Lake

Sharon Jane Lish Lake left this sphere when the car in which she was a passenger was struck and she was pronounced dead at the scene. She came to this life on August 19, 1937 to Howard and Arla Lish of Inkom, Idaho. She was born the sixth child in a family of eight children. Two siblings, Claudia Wessel and Arlen Lish, survive her. She was raised in Inkom, attending elementary school there and graduated from high school at the newly completed Marsh Valley High School in Arimo.

Attending and graduating from Idaho State University made her the first in her immediate family to attain a college degree. She went on to teach at various schools, first in Star Valley, Wyoming, and then in both Inkom and McCammon, and later for the Challis School District. She left being a formal educator for other employment but was a passionate teacher her entire life.

She married Ralph Lake on August 21, 1958 and the couple (later divorced) are the parents of seven children, six daughters and one son; Jody Phillips (Jim), Jan Jeter (Bill), Joan Spraker (Glen), Joel Lake (Kathy), Jane Smith (Matt), Jackie Sample, and Sammy Vickers (Russ). Their large family includes 33 grandchildren and more than 15 great-grandchildren.

Sherry was a one of a kind personality, who would give you the shirt off her back and some advice on how to use it. She held and expressed strong opinions, political and otherwise. Her love of animals and art were both a constant in her life. She always owned horses, dogs, cats, goats and other animals and loved to draw and paint birds and outdoor scenes.

As an athlete in her younger years, she loved participating in rodeo, softball, and swimming. Later coaching softball and being a 4-H leader came naturally to her. She was a great dutch-oven cook and the family reunion candy-cannon are the stuff of legend. Her sink or swim parenting philosophy and plenty of farm chores have made her children into folks who aren't afraid of a bit of work. She firmly believed there was no behavioral problem that couldn't be solved by a dose of hard work. We're sure she's found something to do in heaven otherwise she'll get testy.

Her many grandchildren both loved and feared her, sometimes in the same moment. She insisted on getting up, getting going, and getting things done. She expected them to toughen up and didn't believe in sniveling. If they got out of line they knew there might be a willow switch in their future, but that she loved them and would do anything she could for them. As a teacher she really came into her own when she became a granny.
She will be sorely missed by all; both family and friends.

You've left a big hole. God be with you, Sherry.

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