Sharon had a full, rich life. She had an adventurous spirit and took her joy for living and love for people wherever she went. She made friends quickly with her open friendliness and her easy-going nature. Sharon was a tenacious woman who powered through her diagnosis of MS, making adjustments that enabled her to carry on with gusto. 

Though her own career as an opera singer was cut short, she always continued to sing beautifully throughout her life. She supported and helped Ed's singing career, becoming his manager and his biggest fan. They traveled together to many of the places where Ed was engaged to perform, always enjoying the locals and making new friends. 

Sharon was a fun mom who fully supported her three kids in whatever interests they showed. She gave them opportunities to travel and become independent at an early age, always trusting the best in them. As "Omi", she was also a loving grandma who bubbled over with ideas and was always ready for games and floor time.

Sharon enjoyed long, deep talks, good movies, and games like Scrabble or cards. She was an amazing cook and baker. Swimming was her favorite form of exercise and she kept doing it through 2007. She loved gardening and all things nature and cosmos.

She made sure that her young family, when living together in Germany, went to visit all of their relatives in the States during the summers when possible. Tebbenkamps, Behms, and Hembrees in Missouri and West Virginia, Sooters in Kansas, Swors in Tennessee. She organized many other family trips, such as a wagon tour through Ireland and many visits to the families of German ancestors, the Lohoefners, in Bielefeld.

Later in life she continued to travel to see each one of her kids and their families and to visit with her family in Missouri.

Sharon's grandchildren and great-grandchildren:
Erich with Arianne had Lola, Jakob, Louis and Gwendolyn in Germany
Brett with John had Sarah and Tatjana in Germany and Santa Barbara, CA. Sarah with Jerrod had Cora, Hayden, and Jane in Oregon.
Mahria with James had Natasha and Aaron in Seattle.

Sharon's brothers and sister and families:
Neil Tebbenkamp (passed away in 1962)
David Tebbenkamp (Justin and Jill)
Rosemary Cowan (Matthew)
Daryl and Rhonda Tebbenkamp (Haley, Sarah, Bryan, Laura)

More to come...

Sharon Joyce Tebbenkamp was the first child of five (Neil, David, Rosemary, Daryl) born to Wallace and Evelyn Tebbenkamp on March 18, 1940 in Sweet Springs, Missouri.

They moved to the farm in Salisbury, MO when she was young where she started school. She learned to milk cows and helped with chores on the farm and how to garden. She excelled in her studies and won countless blue ribbons in 4H. She also started piano lesson at an early age and loved to sing at church and school.

In High School, her piano teacher, Mary Fidler, noticed that Sharon had an exceptional voice and tutored her.

by John Jantzi

Sharon went on to earn a Bachelors Degree in Music in 1963 at Kansas University, Lawrence on a scholarship. During this time she toured for the USO in Japan, South Korea and the Philippines in a production of Brigadoon and was so pleased to have met Bob Hope.

She married Edward Sooter in January 1962 while an undergraduate at her family’s Lutheran church in Salisbury and had her first child, Erich Christian Sooter in December 1962.

While at KU she went on to earn a Masters degree in Vocal Performance in 1965 which she was very proud of achieving. I found a newspaper clipping announcing a performance at KU of Mendelssohn’s Elijah with a 300 voice chorus and orchestra with Ed and Sharon Sooter as the soloists.

Sharon was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to study operatic roles and voice at the Musikhochschule in Hamburg, Germany, where she had her first daughter, Brett Lorraine Sooter.

by John Jantzi

Mom's Master's Recital at KU can be listened to on dropbox here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/4kwm45yr0bngfkt/AAD4XaX24Jv43Fcygpg7tV1ga?fbclid=IwAR3ACIFqDFOgc27IRMywpUCEabIc8y-C5EkXkClWkLtajiPc5ETpOKUU4LQ

They moved to Bremerhaven in 1967 where she and Ed were engaged to sing at the operahouse.

Mahria Adele Sooter was born.

The family of five moved on to Hagen in 1970 where they were both employed by the Staats Oper. Now in her early thirties, this was where Sharon became ill and was later diagnosed as having MS, Multiple Sclerosis, forcing her to end her career as an opera singer.Adjusting to this illness was a major part of the rest her life for some 35 years.

Made special friends and had great times with the Hoefners, the Pacynas and the Bock Family.  These families stayed in touch throughout her life. They came to visit in Kiel. The Pacynas even visited Sharon later when she lived in Seattle.

by John Jantzi and others

The family moved to Kiel in 1972 where Ed was engaged at the Kieler Staatsoper, opera house. Sharon helped to manage his career and taught English part-time at the Volkshochschule and had other small odd jobs.

Made many special friends, especially the Spruths, Alice and Wolfgang, the Kirby's and Joy Ratliff who continued to stay in touch over the years. Sharon visited Joy when she lived in Maryland and Joy visited her when she lived in Seattle. The Spruth's sent letters and Christmas ornaments through 2014.

Ed was travelling more internationally and so they moved to Ginsheim in 1980 to be close to the Frankfurt international airport. Sharon saw her children through school while working in music programs for the U.S. military chapel in Wiesbaden.

While in Ginsheim, Sharon made special friends with her neighbors, the Thoenes.

She traveled with Ed and made friends with the Conroys in Florida. Hosted their daughter, Mary Zoe, as an exchange student for a year.

Ed and Sharon divorced in 1983.

At the military chapel in Wiesbaden is was where John Jantzi met Sharon after her divorce, and they shared a beautiful home together for nearly five years in Worfelden, south of Frankfurt and worked together as a team at Hainerberg Chapel and enjoyed collaborating on many musical performances together.

Sharon made many more special friends at the chapel, including Raymond Hughes, Lisa Griffith.

by John Jantzi and Brett Mutinelli

Sharon relocated to Maryland in early 1990 where she worked with Alzheimer patients and become involved musically in a local church, but the heat and East Coast life was not to her liking. 

by John Jantzi

She settled in Seattle in 1993 to be near her daughter Mahria and son-in-law James. She lived for several years in the Seward Park neighborhood and started taking care of her granddaughter, Natasha, and grandson Aaron, while continuing to make friends and participating in music activities.She then moved into a condo in the Bitterlake neighborhood, and subsequently to a retirement home in 2007.

In 2009 she moved to Santa Barbara, CA, where her daughter Brett cared for her as her Alzheimer’s progressed. She loved to sing and listen to music while in the care facility. Music would animate Sharon and bring a smile to her face as she sang the lyrics to Broadway tunes, conduct while Brett’s students would perform or hum along to her favorite opera. It was there in Santa Barbara where Sharon died on June 29, 2014 at age 74.

by John Jantzi