Sharon Reed MacKenzie, 72, fondly known to friends and students as "Mrs. Mac," passed away May 29, 2010, at Mercy Medical Center in Redding, California.
She was born December 30, 1937, in Hollywood, California.
Sharon attended Van Nuys High School, where she met her future husband, Bob,when he asked her to the Junior Prom. She graduated from Whittier College in 1959 with a degree in sociology/education. After her marriage in 1959, she began her teaching career in Glendale, California.
After the birth of their first son, Robert, the family moved to Whittier, CA where Mrs. MacKenzie taught in the East Whittier School District and began working on her Master's Degree in education. Relocating to Diamond Bar, CA she gave birth to son David and began teaching there.
Sharon held a number of increasingly responsible positions in the school district, ultimately becoming the principal of Walnut Elementary School.
In 1981, Mrs. MacKenzie was hired as the principal of Weaverville Elementary School. There she provided outstanding leadership for her staff and love for her students. She often visited the classrooms and read to the children, collecting many hugs along the way.
After several years at Weaverville Elementary, she left to become the superintendent/principal of Lewiston Elementary, returning a few years later to Weaverville Elementary as the superintendent. She retired in 1997, capping a 35 year career in education.
After a brief hiatus, she discovered that she wasn't really ready to retire completely, and became the manager of the Golden Age Center, serving in that capacity for six years. She initiated the "Good News From the Golden Age Center" weekly column and subsequently wrote the Trinity County Historical Society "Mountain Musings" column for the Trinity Journal.
Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1990, Mrs. MacKenzie refused to let it prevent her from enjoying life to the fullest. She never bemoaned her fate, nor complained of her illness, regarding it instead as a challenge to be overcome.
Her professional competence was enhanced by her cheerfulness and great sense of humor. On her 60th birthday, she delighted her grandchildren by having a section of her hair streaked with a lovely lavender dye, thereby earning her the title of "our grandma with the purple hair".
Mrs. MacKenzie is survived by her husband of 51 years, Bob and sons, Robert and David, daughter-in-laws Elyse and Cindy; and grandchildren Sharilyn, Robert IV, Kelcie and Scot. Her love for her family, students, colleagues, and friends provided her with great joy and enabled her to mature and enrich the lives of so many.