Sharon Stone

Sharon Marie Stone, 56, longtime resident of Sumner, Washington, passed away on Saturday, January 11th, 2020 resting comfortably at her home, surrounded with loved ones, after her long and valent fight against cervical cancer. Sharon was born April, 20th 1963 in Auburn, Washington. Her parents are: Dale Smith and Cecilia VanEpps. She almost ruined her dad’s planned fishing trip as it was opening day of fishing season. She is the third of their four children. Her father later remarried and had two more children. In 1964, when she was just barely a year old, she moved from Auburn with her mother, father, her older brother: Dennis (5 years old) and her older sister Connie (3 years old), to the quiet small town of Algona which was just a few miles to the south. Her little sister Karen was born the following spring just after Sharon’s 2nd birthday. As a small child Sharon was shy and bashful. She was always hiding behind her mother’s legs when out and about in public. At home she was very happy and playful. She loved her barbie and other dolls and was very fond of her little play kitchenet set. Her dad nicknamed her the blond bomber as she was always running around all over the place. Her mother’s parents, Grandma June and Grandpa Cecil Brown, lived not too far away up in Bonney Lake. She really loved visiting them and had a very special connection with her Grandma June. Several of Sharon’s aunts, uncles and cousins also lived in the Puget Sound area so family gatherings were frequent especially around birthdays and holidays. Grandma’s favorite flowers were carnations which symbolize love and affection. Sharon’s favorite flowers were also carnations. She cherished her time with Grandma. Unfortunately, Grandma June passed away unexpectedly when Sharon was just 6 years old. Losing her beloved grandma was especially hard on her. Her father’s mother, Grandma Dorothy and her second husband, Grandpa Ray Jarmin lived a few hours’ drive up northeast in a quaint little town known as Rockport which is known as eagle country. Sharon loved the winter activity of bald eagle watching with its height in January. You could watch the eagles fly over the Skagit river right from their living room window. Uncle Alvin lived next door and he had sweat peas planted all around his little cabin. Sharon always loved sweat peas ever since she was little too. The Rockport store was right next door as well. They had all the common and oodles of uncommon candy. Something for every child it seemed. They also had an awesome, homemade self-kicking Machine perched right out front where you could give yourself an attitude adjustment with the hand-cranked wheel of boots. It was the only one ever known of and it sure got a workout as it was well used and treasured. Grandpa Jarmin passed away unexpectedly and Grandma eventually remarried. Her third husband was Chief Grandpa Jim Campbell. Grandma loved pussy willows so grandpa planted a pussy willow tree in their yard for her. Sharon has always loved wussy pillows as she lovingly referred to them as well. It was well known that Grandma was a great cook. She also fed all of the little hummingbirds! Sharon would watch in awe right from grandma’s living room window. She would intently observe those tiny, erratic, comic and magical little hummingbirds for hours in delight and amazement. This is where her love for those darling little hummers began! They are so fun to look at and they give people who watch them a spiritual boost, a feeling that there is light and life and hope. Hummingbirds, the smallest among all birds, symbolizes lightness of being, swiftness, independence, courage, sensitivity, determination, love, beauty, endurance, wisdom, vitality, hope, and enjoyment of life. Sharon definitely enjoyed the part of her life spent with her hummers. She took excellent care of her lil buddies. She put out eight feeders and had to fill them almost every other day! Several of Sharon’s aunts, uncles and cousins lived up north near Grandma and Grandpa Campbell. She spent a lot of time up there visiting and frolicking with her cousins. They were free to explore, wonder and play within all of nature’s beauty. Tons of fun was had at Howard Miller Steelhead Park, Rockport State Park, a bit further up State Route 20, the North Cascades Highway, at the tiny little church by the side of the road called the Wildwood Chapel, Marblemount, and a very special place known to Sharon as Music Mountain which is also known as Ladder Creek Falls and Gardens. It is located behind the Gorge Powerhouse in Newhalem. It is a refreshing woodland retreat with close-up views of spectacular Ladder Creek Falls and gardens. You cross the Skagit River using a pedestrian suspension bridge next to the powerhouse, and follow the trail. The gardens are open year-round; the historical light show has been restored and operates from dusk until 11:00 p.m. daily. The celebrated light show inspires and entertains. They have incredible summer tours which include dinner. For about two months in the summer you can tour the Gorge Powerhouse also in Newhalem, as well as the Skagit Powerhouse tour-Seattle City Light. Sharon’s parents separated when she was eight. Her brother and older sister went to live with their dad while she chose to stay with her mom and little sister. Before he met her mother, her father worked for The Boeing Company in Seattle as a union machinist. He was in the Marine Reserves while working for Boeing. He met and later married Cecilia and chose to leave Boeing to serve our country as a United States Marine and was stationed in El Toro, CA. He worked as a mechanic repairing jets and making them fly worthy again while in the service and even met Elvis Presley on one of their outings. When he got out of the service they moved back to Concrete, WA. so that he could drive a logging truck. A few years later is when they moved to Auburn, and he took a job with Paccar. When Paccar went on strike, he elected to continue working and began working at Clough Equipment Company in Seattle as he said, “I have a family to support.” He was a welder, did drafting, layout and lofting for these various companies. When Clough then went on strike, he became gainfully employed as a maintenance foreman by Kaiser Aluminum in Tacoma. He spent many years with Kaiser where he made numerous improvements and kept their plant up to par in good working order. He then went to work as Plant Superintendent for Continental Lime in Tacoma where he worked enthusiastically until the day he retired. Her mother was primarily a stay at home mom until their separation. She then worked many jobs and often she worked two jobs to support her family. She was employed as a waitress, barmaid, then ended up driving dump trucks, tractors and loaders for a small local topsoil company. The equipment she had to operate was run down and always breaking. She figured if she could drive it then she could drive anything! So, she started driving school bus. She drove bus for several years then eventually moved up to driving semis. When she retired, she did so after driving for Safeway with over a million miles accident free! That was a huge accomplishment especially considering there were very few female truck drivers back then. Sharon always looked up to her mother for being such a strong and independent woman. She utilized her as a great role model for her own life. As a very young 9-year-old, entrepreneurial girl, Sharon and her little sister Karen actually went around their neighborhood selling daffodils, door to door, out of a little red wagon, for ten cents a bunch. It is hard not to smile when you see cheerful, golden daffodils as they are one of the first visible signs of spring and they always sold out quickly. How could anyone resist! As she transitioned from a small child to a young girl, she left her dolls behind and became a bit of a tomboy. She built forts, played baseball, rode bikes and she had lots of fun riding ponies. Bucky, a beautiful buckskin colored Shetland pony with a jet black main and tail, was absolutely, without doubt, the BEST pony in the world!!! That pony would do anything and everything asked of him!!! Including being ridden right up the steps of the front porch, in the front door, through the living room, dining room, out the back door and down the back steps! Then the hoof prints just had to hurry and get all cleaned up before mom got home from work! Sharon grew up having many wonderful adventures in the great outdoors including riding ponies, playing baseball with the neighborhood kids, roller skating, camping, swimming, inner tubing, going to the beach, drive-in movies and listening to her favorite music on record albums and her 45s. Sharon was always surrounded by lots of family and friends. Sharon didn’t like to be cold. Her childhood home had floor vents with a forced air furnace. On the chilly days she would be happily sitting or standing on top of those vents. Her long little pajama dress would fill up and be all poofy with that toasty warm air and Sharon would be smiling and content. (as an adult too!) She enjoyed pleasures of many childhood family pets including dogs, cats, rabbits, hamsters, gerbils, mice, rats, guinea pigs, ponies, horses and some that were not so common like baby wild bunnies, a flying squirrel and even a mischievous pet raccoon named Rascal. (He definitely lived up to that name!) One day when her inquisitive little, black and white pet rat named Squeaky, got out of his cage in her bedroom upstairs, made his way all the way downstairs, across the house and into one of mom’s kitchen drawers! When mom opened up that drawer and seen those little red beady eyes looking back at her, she screamed! It wasn’t long after that and he had to find a new place to call home. She met Bob Stone around 1979. They lived in Kent for a little while and were married in 1980 when she was just 17 years old. They moved to Algona briefly then purchased their first house up in Bonney Lake. Sharon graduated from Auburn Senior High School in 1981 and became pregnant with her twins that summer. Bob kept busy working for the Boeing Company. Sharon was excited to become a mother and delighted to be giving birth to twins. Unfortunately, she had a very rough pregnancy and her girls arrived three months too early. They were born prematurely on January, 2nd 1982 in Seattle, WA. Mariah Michelle, although still very small, at 2 pounds, was the larger of the two. Little Maranda June was only 1 pound 13 ounces and unfortunately, she was just too darn little to survive. Sadly, she passed away at University of Washington Hospital in Seattle at mere two days old. The loss of Miranda was devastating and extremely heartbreaking for the young couple but at least Mariah, even though she had to remain in that hospital for three months before they would allow her to finally go home, survived! Driving to the hospital every day to be with their precious, lone twin daughter was a huge endeavor but the daily visits would not be missed for the world! Four years later they had a healthy and happy baby boy. Their son, Robert Willis was born on January, 22nd 1986 in Renton, WA. Sharon kept very busy as a stay at home mom for several years. Her older sister, Connie, became pregnant about the time her twins were born. Unfortunately, she had a very rough pregnancy and her daughter, Jessica Elaine arrived three months too early as well. Connie worked a lot so Jessica spent quite a bit of time with Sharon, Bob, Mariah and Rob. In fact, Sharon lovingly refers to her as her second daughter. She and Bob separated in 1987 and she entered the workforce. As a single mother, Sharon and the children went through some really rough and difficult times. Being raised by a single mother with two small children, she learned the value of a dollar and the importance of making wise decisions with finite resources early in life. She had to make sensible decisions, be frugal, spend her hard-earned money wisely and scrinch and stretch to make every dollar go as far as possible. She enjoyed finding bargains and was very good at it too. She learned how to budget her money for the things she really wanted in life. Sharon was able to purchase her very own home in Bonney Lake in 1996 even though some people said that she would never be able to do it on her own. That was a real motivator for her as, the word “can’t”, was not in her dictionary! If you told her that she couldn’t do something, she would do it, not only to show you that she could but, sometimes just to prove you wrong! She started out working for Burger King, then moved on to work for several different warehouses including Ernst Hardware and Qwest Communications in Auburn, Dell Tile in Seattle and, most recently, O’Reilly Auto Parts Distribution Center in Puyallup. She was a very hard worker, took pride in doing a good job and found some really great people that have become close friends over the years. Her kids grew up and now have children of their own. Sharon was proud to be a grandma and truly loves all of her children and grandchildren. She met and later married the love of her life, David Bredeson of Sumner, WA. He served his country in the U.S. Armed Forces as a Military Police Officer in the Army. He worked security for Target, Home Depot, several MultiCare locations but primarily MultiCare Tacoma General Hospital and is currently working along with Sharon’s daughter, Mariah at Electronic Recycling, Inc. known as ERI. With a mission to safeguard organizations, people and the environment, ERI is the largest fully integrated IT and electronics asset disposition provider and cybersecurity-focused hardware destruction company in the United States, and possibly the world. He is truly one of the good guys. David has always worked in security to patrol, guard, protect, maintain peace and report any unlawful activity. Sharon was comfy knowing David was always going to look after everything. Sharon was never late for anything except for the night she was supposed to go meet David for the very first time! She had accidently locked her keys in her bedroom. She thought she blew it with him. In a last-ditch effort to save the chance to meet him, she called her daughter and had her daughter call him, explain to him what had happened, why she was late and ask him to please wait for her. Luckily for her it all worked out and, it is a very good thing that David was patient. One evening, early on in their relationship while they were out playing darts with her sister and brother in law, the tequila started to flow and the guys got a little too happy so the girls ended up having to drive them home. Only thing was, David’s truck was a stick shift and Sharon didn’t drive stick. No problem, she just switched trucks and they drove Ryan’s truck home that night. All the way home all Sharon heard was, “That’s just wrong! Girls don’t drive trucks! She quickly corrected and educated him that they do in her family! Sharon and David were wed at his parent’s home in their very lovely backyard surrounded by all their beautiful flower gardens. It was a perfect warm and sunny day in the summer of 2010 for their hummingbird/Seahawks themed wedding. David has a son David Jr., a daughter Laura, a Stepson and a stepdaughter Heather from his previous marriage and now they have more grandchildren to love. Sharon and David enjoyed spending time with their children, grandchildren, family and friends. Especially when the weather cooperated so they could BBQ and spend quality time outdoors. David has lots of different types of stunt kites and they enjoyed many trips to the ocean to play in the sun and sand and had lots of fun flying cool kites. Sometimes the kites are so powerful, if you weren’t careful, you might even get dragged down the beach a little bit! Sharon even got two of her own kites, both with hummingbirds on them, and she really enjoyed getting them soaring up high in the sky on several occasions. There are several ice cream shops at the ocean that always seemed to have her favorite licorice ice cream so that was something she looked forward to as well. Sharon truly appreciated all of the little things in life. Good companionship, sunny days, sunsets, flowers, nature, her little hummers, (and other birds), wildlife, adventures. They all brought her joy. There were trips taken up to “her mountain”, Mount Rainer, to explore, enjoy time with family, see all of the beautiful sights and take in all the scents and the fresh mountain air. Ever since she had children, every year she cherished her traditional visits to Santa Land at the Old Cannery Furniture Warehouse in Sumner, Sharon really enjoyed all the festivities and especially their complimentary Santa photos with her family and friends! She always said that they have the most awesome Santa there. She couldn’t figure out why anyone would pay or go anywhere else when the absolute best Santa was right there! She treasured their Santa visits and adorable Christmas photos of everyone! Sharon had a really big heart and was full of love to share! When her son was overseas in Iraq serving our country as a United States Marine, she spent a lot of time making special Christmas stockings for him and all the guys he was serving with. She would make and send countless care packages for all of them and others over there. If you wanted anything, she would do her best to accommodate. If you ever needed her, she would always be there for you! She loved her Dutch Bros Coffee. The fact that they are headquartered in Grants Pass, Oregon, where her mom’s sister, aunt Patty lived, and she spent time visiting and playing with cousins, made her love it even more! If you knew Sharon, you probably know she loved the Grinch. Last Christmas several of her loved ones dressed up in costume as some of her favorite characters including, her sister as Eeyore, her daughter as the Abominable Snow Monster of the North, called Bumble for short, grandson Owen as Santa and Grandson Garrett as her beloved Grinch! Sharon loved Christmas! She loved decorating the house inside and out with chasing lights, all the lights in the neighborhood, (Sky Island at the top of Elhi hill above Sumner has a lovely display), the music, (Grandma got ran over by a reindeer) the family gathering at her house, she loved all of it! She said Christmas of 2019 was the best ever! Sharon loved many genres of music. Some of her absolute favorites were 70s rock, especially Boston, (which she saw in concert in Seattle July 1st, 2016), country including Alabama, George Straight and Garth Brooks, whom she was able to see live in concert four times! The first Garth concert was in Portland, Oregon in July of 1996 and her mother, daughter and sister all went along. A couple years later in July of 1998 when his concert came to Seattle. She spent quite a bit that time laughing at her crazy daughter and sister at that show. Then back to Portland again in 2015 and finally two shows, which she saw back to back, in Tacoma in November, 2017. There were memorable trips to see all the beautiful, vibrantly colored tulips, and of course the cheerful daffodils, at the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival which is a sight to behold in the valley every April. As an added treat, you also get to see trumpeter swans up there at that same time as Skagit and Whatcom counties now have an estimated 15,000 trumpeters (there were only about 80 known individual swans in the U.S. in 1935) from November to April. The swans can usually be seen out in the open fields and estuaries. Trumpties, as Sharon liked to call them, are the heaviest living bird native to North America, it is also the largest living species of waterfowl with a wingspan that may exceed 10 feet and weighs 21 to 35 pounds. It is a real treat to see them thriving in the wild. There was a very memorable 2-hour trip south to Hulda Klager Lilac Garden in Woodland, WA. It was spring and she strolled through the gardens to see and especially smell all of the beautiful lilacs in bloom! (Even brought home a fresh and fragrant bouquet!) There were a couple of trips to the San Juan Islands that were thoroughly enjoyed. One trip even included an awesome whale watching cruise out of Anacortes on a brand-new catamaran! Super fun times were had as there were many orcas and even a humpback whale seen along with otters, eagles, seals, sealions and lots of other wildlife and beautiful scenery. It was another fun, unique and very memorable experience. She is survived by her loving husband, David Bredeson of Bonney Lake, WA. Her Daughter Mariah and husband Dan Buckland of Graham, WA. Her son Rob and wife Jessica Stone of Tacoma, WA. Her second daughter/niece Jessica and husband Ian Salonka of Covington, WA. Stepdaughter Laura Bredeson and fiancé Ken Aponte of Austin, TX. Stepson David Bredeson Jr. and wife Naseem of Marble Falls, TX. Stepdaughter Heather Spiegner of Sumner, WA. Her Grandchildren Owen and Garrett Buckland, Jaxon and Adalind Stone, Oliver and Lillie Aponte and a bundle (Bredeson) to arrive in 2020. Her mother Cecilia and husband/second dad Dean VanEpps of Ellensburg, WA. Mother and Father in law David and Bonnie Bredeson of Roy, WA. brother Dennis Smith of Lake Tapps, WA. (Dennis’s loving companion Karla Kudlinski of Auburn, WA,) and sisters Connie Nesmith of Tucson, AZ., Karen Leonhardt and husband Ryan Leonhardt of Edgewood, WA. Numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, three great nephews Jack Thompson, twins Logen and Caden Salonka, step grandchildren, friends and her beloved lil buddies. (Her hummers) Sharon was preceded in death by her daughter Maranda June Stone, her father Dale and step mom Ruth Smith, all of her grandparents and her little brothers Danny (and Danny’s wife Angie) and Donny Smith. Sharon loved life and the great outdoors! She had a fondness for going to the beach, taking walks, treasure hunting either by finding great bargains or trying her luck at a casino, outdoor cookouts, watching football, reminiscing and telling stories, spending time with family and friends and showing off all of her lil hummer buddies. Sharon’s service is public. A Celebration of Life Memorial Service will be Saturday, 8/7/2021 at 3:00 PM at the home of David’s parents. At Sharon’s request, this service will be officiated by her brother-in-law Chris Bredeson. David and Bonnie Bredeson 216 336th Street South Roy, WA. 98580 For additional information, please call David Bredeson at (253) 862-6509 Arrangements made by Curnow Funeral Home & Cremation Service Curnow Funeral Home & Cremation Service 1504 Main Street Sumner, WA. 98390 (253) 200-9767 Please share memories, add a photo, a gesture, send condolences or light a candle at: www.curnowfuneralhome.com There have been numerous emails, texts and messages from people asking how they can help, so… here it is: Due to Sharon’s illness she has been unable to work for several years. That along with her hospital bills, treatments and medications has created a financial burden and something I am certain we can all help with. We are seeking donations to help defray medical expenses and donations of any monetary value would be greatly appreciated. If you would like to contribute, please just send your donation to: David Bredeson 21622 128th Street East Sumner, WA. 98391 If you are not able to, please don’t forget you can still leave messages and comments for her family and friends. Thank you very much in advance for your donation – and even simply for considering it. The family and friends of Sharon Stone also suggest memorial contributions can be made to any reputable, cancer research, care or treatment center. The United States Congress designated January as Cervical Health Awareness Month. Nearly 13,000 women in the United States are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year. Sharon would like to thank everyone with all her heart for all of their love, care, prayers and concern for her. She greatly appreciates each and every one! Her family, her friends, her doctors, her nurses, care givers, Chris Bredeson for officiating and assisting her family through this very difficult time, David and Bonnie Bredeson for hosting her Celebration of Life Memorial Service at their home, her many coworkers, educators and mentors she had that were instrumental throughout her life. She is greatly missed and will remain always in our hearts! Now she flies with hummingbirds!