Sharon Sue Cookman

Sharon Sue (Kennedy) Cookman, age 83, was born on May 5, 1940 to the late James and Margaret (Huser) Kennedy in Sulphur Springs, IN and passed peacefully on Saturday, July 1, 2023 with her loving husband Michael Cookman at her side.

Sharon entered the Sulphur Springs school system in 2nd grade and graduated a proud Sulphur Springs Bluebird in 1958. She remained in contact and good friends with her classmates for the rest of her life, regardless of where life took her. She began her pursuit of an accounting degree in 1958 at Ball State University but interrupted her education to marry Michael Alan Cookman on June 28, 1959. She eventually earned an accounting degree from Indiana University in 1979, encouraging her high school age children to persist in their education.

Sharon was a member of Bethany Christian Church in Anderson, IN where she had many great friends, most notably the members of her Sunday School class, even after being unable to attend due to health issues. With all of her church family and her family and friends, it was part of her nature to grieve with them when they grieved and to celebrate with them when they celebrated.

Sharon enjoyed traveling and golfing with her husband and friends in her younger days. She will be remembered for her passion for quilting, visiting quilt shops, shows, and classes together with her sister-in-law Linda and Aunt/Sister Bonnie. She blessed many friends and family members with a hand-made quilt, constructed with love in every beautiful stitch.

Sharon will be greatly missed by the friends she made in the many places she lived, and by her surviving family members, husband of 64 years, Michael Cookman; son, Kevin (Noel) Cookman; grandchildren, Forrest and Molly Cookman; aunt/sister, Bonnie Harrell; sister-in-law, Treva Kennedy; brothers-in-law, Ted (Linda) Cookman Max (Nina) Ross; many nieces, nephews and their children. Sharon did all she could to keep up with and be invested in the lives of her extended family.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her beloved daughter, Michelle Denise Cookman, her much loved younger brothers, Gary Kennedy and David Kennedy, and her great friend and sister-in-law, Sandi Ross.

Visitation will be held on Tuesday, July 11, 2023 from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. with a celebration of life service to follow at Ballard & Sons Funeral Home, 118 S. 5th St, Middletown, IN. In lieu of flowers, Sharon can best be honored with a donation to the American Cancer Society in remembrance of her and her daughter Michelle (Shelley).

You may express condolences or share a memory of Sharon at www.ballardandsons.com