Charlotte Ann Oedekerk

July 18, 1933    ~   October 5, 2024

     SOUTH BEND - Charlotte Ann Oedekerk, 91, of South Bend, died peacefully as she was welcomed home to God on October 5, surrounded by her family throughout several months of illness preceding her death.

     Sharlee was born July 18, 1933, to the late Joseph L. (Cy) and Charlotte (Newcomb) Cissell in South Bend, where she lived a colorful life.

     She is preceded in death by her husband, Donald Paul Oedekerk, her high school sweetheart whom she married on January 4, 1958, and their dear son, Donald Paul Oedekerk, Jr.

     Surviving is her daughter, Jan Oedekerk Spalding (Andy) of Mishawaka; daughter-in-law, Laura Oedekerk of Mishawaka; and five adoring grandchildren, Paul and Paige Oedekerk and David Spalding, Annie Hufford (Adam) and Scout Spalding. Sharlee’s brother, Joseph Cissell of Fitchburg, Wisconsin, also survives.

     Sharlee’s flair for life emerged without haste as a young, accomplished ballerina, pianist, and passionate junior golfer. When reminiscing about her childhood, she always said with a smile how much she adored her younger brother Joe.

     It is no surprise Sharlee shined her four years at Adams High School (class of 1951), developing friendships she cherished her entire life. She was an exemplary student, active in school leadership, service clubs and all things social. As a junior model for Robertson’s Department store her passion for fashion made its public debut.

     In Bloomington, at Sharlee’s beloved Indiana University, she proudly pledged Kappa Alpha Theta – a memory that forever brought tears to her eyes when she would recall the loyal and meaningful friendships of her sisters.  She graduated with her degree in Education, a Pi Lambda Theta honorary who served as president of the I.U. chapter her senior year. She returned home to teach 1st and 2nd grade at Perley Elementary in South Bend.

     While she put her profession aside to raise her family, she never stopped teaching. She returned to the profession she loved in her retirement years, enrolling in classes at Indiana University South Bend to train as an Orton Gillingham tutor, then working through the Masonic Dyslexic Learning Center for Children (known today as the B.E.A.R Reading Center.)

     Sharlee married Don when she returned to South Bend. Together, this pair thrived with friends who traveled from Michigan to the Swiss Apls. While Sharlee loved to “doll up” for nights out on the town, community fundraisers, and their many adventures, she was ever-present to her cherished children, Donny and Jan. With them, she shared her gift of unconditional love, forever instilling a passion for lifelong hobbies, the value of laughter and fun, the importance of kindness to others, the absolute necessity for all things education and her spirituality.

     To whomever or whatever Sharlee gave – she gave her all.

     Music and theater were a thread to Sharlee’s being. Whether it was leading sing-alongs with Don on the banjo or cleverly composing a song and dance for a community fundraiser (hello Mae West among many others,) Sharlee’s spark lit up the room. And so did her clothes! Her eye for colorful fashion was signature, from the golf course and tennis courts or a black-tie formal (where she would rarely wear black) to a day on the pier at Thompson Lake. Lipstick, perfect outfit – check!

     Sharlee enjoyed women who played golf as much as she enjoyed the game itself. Her arrow-straight drives and radar putting was known in women’s leagues across the community, including Morris Park CC, South Bend CC, Elbel, and Eberhart where she played throughout the years and made lifelong friends.

     Sharlee was proud to be active in the Junior League of South Bend and a member of the Antiquarians of St. Joseph County, tutor at large, among many community groups she contributed to and served.  She also cherished her stint as the local recruitment representative for her Kappa Alpha Theta chapter at I.U.

     When her oldest grandson Paul couldn’t quite get out the words “Grandma Sharlee” at a young age, he coined “ShaShe” – a name that became her persona for the next 36 years. She was ShaShe not only to her five grandchildren, but also to their cousins, aunts and uncles, friends and their parents – because they too felt her love. Her response, when relenting to a plea from a grandchild to have dessert before dinner or stay up an extra hour cuddled on the couch was only natural: “What’s a Shash to do?” she would say as she cuddled in closer or pulled out the Dilly Bars.

     In the hearts of those she touched for a lifetime as well as those caregivers who served her so lovingly in these past few months and years, we pray her spirit nourishes them with all its warmth and color.

     “She was so special.”

     Sharlee’s witty sense of humor, desire to always be learning and quest for perfection shined to her very last days. Yet it is her legacy of deep love and passion – devout to her faith as a model of God’s love to all - that is the most beautiful memory of her life’s story.

     How can 91 years still not be enough?

     On Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, a visitation will take place at 9 am, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10:30 am at St. Pius X Catholic Church in Granger, IN, located at 52554 N. Fir Road. 

     In lieu of flowers, Sharlee’s wish was for memorial donations to be made to The CASIE Center, 533 N. Niles Ave., South Bend, IN, 46617. Online giving is available on the CASIE website: casiecenter.org.

10/10/2024 djb

https://www.hahnfuneralhomes.com/obituary/Charlotte-Oedekerk