Sharon Nina Ruzumna (Bez) was born in Detroit, Michigan to Samuel and Pearl Bez. She was predeceased by her only sibling, Marilyn Cohon. Sharon attended the University of Michigan, and was one of only a handful of trailblazing women who attended law school in the mid-1960s, and graduated from UC Berkeley’s Boalt Law School. She married Lawrence Ruzumna, and in 1967, the two joined the Peace Corps and served in Micronesia. During her time in the Peace Corps, Sharon worked to help the local inhabitants develop a codified legal system in lieu of oral customs and traditions. Sharon has two sons, Jeremy (Theresa) and David (Jennifer), who she raised in Los Angeles, California. She alone wrote the sequel to the first part of her life when she moved to Bainbridge Island, Washington, where she was able to fully realize her passion for horseback riding, gardening, and walking. Her three grandchildren (Sarah, Samuel, and Raphael/Raffi) were together the apples of her eye whom she adored to no end. Throughout her life, Sharon was an avid reader (hardcovers only; no paperbacks!), a proud liberal, and a passionate advocate for the progressive beliefs that consistently served as her moral North Star. She was laid to rest at Port Blakely Cemetery, located on the Island that was her home, and within a stone’s throw of the horses she loved to ride and care for at Countryman Stables. She had the remarkable ability to not only form friendships with a wide array of people, but she nurtured those friendships for a lifetime. Many who attended her virtual memorial were friends with Sharon since early childhood. She will be dearly missed by her family, and her vast community of beloved friends.

Contributions may be made in Sharon’s name to Mazon: A Jewish Response to Hunger, P.O. Box 96119 Washington, DC 20090. www.mazon.org