Sharron Ries
d. June 19, 2016
Sharron Lynn Ries (Britton) died in her home, surrounded by family, on June 19 th , 2016 after a six month battle with endometrial/uterine cancer. She was 55.
Rosary and Vigil services will be Monday, June 27, and begin at 7pm at Pondera Funeral Home. Funeral Mass will be held Tuesday, June 28, at 11am at St. Michael’s Catholic Church. Burial to follow in Hillside Cemetery.
Sharron was born November 10 th , 1960 in Great Falls, Montana to Bernice and Donald Britton. She moved to Conrad at the age of 11 and graduated from Conrad High School in 1979. In 1981, she married her high school sweetheart Vincent Ries. She attended Montana State University with studies focused on Elementary Education. After Vincent joined the Air Force, she took on the role of Air Force spouse. This took Sharron and her family, which grew to include 5 children, to many homes, including: Monterey, California; Castle AFB, California; Heidelberg, Germany; Fort Collins, Colorado; Omaha, Nebraska; St. Leon, Germany; Vandenberg AFB, California; and finally, to Burke, Virginia. Children, both her own and others, were her life. No matter where they moved, Sharron always found a way to help educate the youth of her community. Sharron taught religious education for 30 years. She led Girl Scout Troops and held many volunteer positions within her children’s schools and throughout the military community. After the family moved to Burke, Sharron began teaching at Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Preschool, where she taught for the last 13 years. Children with learning and physical challenges were her specialty. Through her life, she influenced the lives of over a thousand young children.
Sharron is survived by her husband, Vincent; children, Nicole McCormick, Colleen, Kristen, Blaine, and Drew Ries; grandchildren, Liam and Conor McCormick; mother Bernice Boucher and stepfather Tony Smerker of Conrad, MT; sisters, Donna Hepp of Conrad and Ruth Stompro of Great Falls, MT; and stepsister Vicki Strauch of Albuquerque, NM. She was preceded in death by her father Donald Britton; step-father Robert Boucher; brothers, Ronald and Donald Britton and Raymond Huseby; sister Susan Clark; and stepbrother Gary Boucher.
Memorials can be made to Pencils of Promise in her honor.