Sharon Kay Rench

Sharon Rench, age 82 of Kalamazoo, passed away peacefully, surrounded by her family on February 8, 2022, at Bronson Methodist Hospital. She was born December 29, 1939, in Battle Creek, Michigan, the daughter of Richard and Maxine Phillips. Sharon was a 1957 graduate of Springfield High School; that year she married Raymond Rench and they began their family. Her beloved Raymond passed in 1994. She was also preceded in death by her 14-year fiancé, Donald Henderson, in 2017.

Sharon was known as "Mom" to her two beloved daughters and in-laws and known as "Nanny" to most others. She loved her family dearly; she stayed in touch with every network of her family and always knew what was going on with them. Her family includes her children: Shelly (Jerry) Dennany and Lisa Jank; her grandchildren: Nikki (Matt) Welker, Joe (Lindsay) Baxter, Cody (Alyssa) Rench, and Kyle Jank; her 8 great-grandchildren and 2 great-great-grandchildren; her sisters: Lolly (Tim) Colter and Jackie (Larry) Devenney; her brother-in-law, Bud Parrish; her sister, Carol Lee Parrish, who preceded her in death (2020); and several nieces and nephews.

Sharon was always very well put together and her color-coordinated, accessorized outfits were always a sight to see; she loved her bracelets, and she loved her jewelry. She loved the color purple and for several years before her passing, she had purple highlights in her hair (that she had done biweekly), a testament to her eccentric and fun spirit. Her faith was strong, and she was always expressing that she had faith that God would come through and good would prevail; it always did. She had a sweet tooth and loved her circus peanuts, chocolate, and spice drops; she also had a self-proclaimed addiction to shoestring potatoes. She lived alone and maintained complete independence throughout her senior years, able to climb stairs and participate in outings until her passing. Mom/Nanny/Sharon cherished every moment with her family and her eyes shone with love during every cookout or holiday gathering, and she felt very blessed to be the reason all of them were there.

Friends may gather with her family for Sharon's Celebration of Life from 2:00-5:00 PM on Saturday, February 26, 2022, at the Langeland Family Funeral Home, 411 East Centre Avenue, Portage, MI 49002. In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Sharon may be made to Shriners Hospitals for Children.