Sharlene Joy Tolman

Sharlene Joy (Fein) Tolman died peacefully at home in Las Vegas on Sunday, February 19, 2017, after an illness. She was 81. Born Dec. 9, 1935, in Detroit, she was the daughter of Lillian (Mehalowitz) and William Fein. She grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, and graduated from Glenville High School in 1953. She attended Brandeis University in Massachusetts, where she met her husband, Dr. Stephen Tolman. They were married in 1957 in Boston, started their family in Cleveland, and then lived a few years in Middletown, Pa. They lived in Chelmsford, Mass., and Ogunquit, Maine, for 30 years before retiring to Las Vegas in 1996. Sharlene started working in computer programming in the 1960s and returned to college in the 1970s, attending Northeastern University at night while working full time at RCA. She received a bachelor's degree in management information systems from Northeastern in 1984. She retired from Digital Equipment Corp. in 1993. She enjoyed gardening, swimming, walking, needlepoint, knitting, reading, and playing at casinos. She was a volunteer for various groups throughout her lifetime, notably President Barack Obama's election campaign in 2008. She had two brothers who died previously, Jesse Fein of Cleveland and Sherwood B. "Midge" Fein of Seattle. In addition to her husband, she leaves a son, William B. Tolman, and his wife, Bonnie Gruen, of Minneapolis; a daughter, Lynne Tolman, along with Richard Krasnick, of Worcester, Mass.; three grandchildren, Sarah Frances Gruen Tolman, Claire Rachel Gruen Tolman, and Simon Joseph Gruen Tolman; and nieces and nephews. Arrangements are private and there will be no memorial service. Memorial contributions may be made to the charity of one's choice.