Eulogy for Sharon Whittle
24/01/1957 - 24/05/2024
Sharon's Eulogy was written by Kerry, Anthea and Donna. Delivered by Sharon's eldest nephew, Rodney Dobbs.
Download a PDF version of this text here.
Sharon was born in Paeroa on 24th January 1957, the third child of Harold and Marie Dobbs after Carol, then Barry. For eight years she was the baby, before Janice came and “pushed her off the knee”, her youngest brother Tuck came along after.
Sharon started school at Manurewa South primary school, while her father Harold worked at the Westfield freezing works and Mum Marie worked sewing. When Sharon was 11 years old, the whānau moved to Harataunga where her beloved Gran lived. Sharon was enrolled at Kennedy Bay School until moving on to boarding school at Te Kura o Kuini Wikitoria - The Queen Victoria School for Māori Girls in Auckland in 1969.
Growing up, Sharon enjoyed her huge family - her mother Marie had sixteen siblings of whom Marie is the youngest girl. Sharon described her uncles and aunties as “beautiful”, and she always had cousins around for various exploits growing up.
At sixteen Sharon knew she loved children and working with her hands. Along with her caring nature, Dental Nursing was a clear choice for her career path. She trained in Wellington where she lived in the training school accommodation with the other dental nurses in training.
Sharon graduated in 1976 and returned to Coromandel to take up her post at the new purpose-built Dental Clinic at Coromandel Area School where she also treated tamariki from Te Rerenga, Colville, Manaia, Kennedy Bay and other parts of the peninsula.
Coincidentally, a young teacher from Papa Aroha also came home to a post at Coromandel Area School starting the school year in 1978. His name is Kerry Whittle and, with her father Harold’s “blessing”, by Easter Kerry and Sharon were engaged.
Sharon and Kerry were married on 25th October (Labour weekend) that same year at the Anglican church in Coromandel followed by receptions at the “top pub” for immediate family and with the whole whānau at Kerry’s brother Tom Whittle’s woolshed in Papa Aroha.
Kerry was the youngest in his family, with only two first cousins! (unheard of in Sharons whānau!) Sharon lived with Kerry in Coromandel for 6 months before moving out to Kerry’s family homestead in Papa Aroha while they purchased a block of land nearby and built their beautiful home on the hill. Kerry is a keen sailor and Sharon was an eager companion, they had a small beachcomber yacht named Limelight which they could sail from the Coromandel harbour right round to Kennedy Bay where it was small enough to park right across the road from Harold and Marie’s house.
Sharon loved kids, so it was a surprise to everyone that it took ten years’ marriage before Kerry and Sharon announced they were expecting their first child. But it was all to Sharon’s plan - she wanted to enjoy life with Kerry, travelling and sailing and adventuring before she was [in Sharon’s words] “ready to stay home with my babies”. Anthea Carlin Iritekura was born in January 1988 in Auckland. Again to Sharon's plan came Donna Alisa Haringa Ngakau in August 1991 in Matamata. Sharon and Kerry wanted their girls to be connected to their Māori heritage and they both attended Kōhanga Reo followed by Kura Kaupapa Māori here in Harataunga.
Sharon and Kerry were always hard working, enterprises including constructing Alican the mussel barge in their backyard for their mussel farm in Kennedy Bay, tenanting property in Auckland and when Kerry finished teaching they purchased Stainless Kitchens in Auckland in 2002.
The hard work with support from many friends and whānau paid off and the family shared school holidays travelling around New Zealand and overseas as well as years boating together aboard ‘Cool Bear’ the yacht and later, ‘Cool Cat’ the catamaran they lived on together for 18 months while Sharon and Kerry were still both working at Coromandel Area School.
Harold and Marie’s property in Waikawau was a favourite place to camp with whānau during the summer holidays. Carol and Sharon fed the eels every night and made decorations for Harold's shed from harakeke, shells and painted rocks.
Sharon was always creative. She attended night classes for calligraphy in the 90’s - students of Coromandel Area School around that time received certificates with their names carefully done in her beautiful calligraphy. Like her mother, Sharon was a keen gardener and alongside her plantings she put together elaborate displays of found things like driftwood which Kerry installed in their garden under her direction. Some visitors to the home recognise the old spit sink from the early dental clinic that Sharon added to her garden.
Sharon worked as a Dental Nurse at Coromandel Area School for 36 years and retired in 2012. She now had the time to pursue her art and Kerry pulled down the girls’ old ‘playhut’ in the orchard and built Sharon her own small art studio. She was excited to call herself an “artist” when filling in her customs forms on the overseas adventures she had with Kerry.
Papa Aroha embraced Sharon. Her brother-in-law Tom Whittle had donated land on which the Papa Aroha “fire shed” was built; since the rural fire force was disestablished it’s now used as a community hall and it was Sharon’s idea to use the space as an art gallery for Papa Aroha artists to sell their works.
Sharon and Kerry, along with their neighbours and longtime friends - Mike and Ngaire enjoyed their ‘Friday Drinks’ together each week usually at Papa Aroha beach, fondly called ‘The Log’ where they caught up with the latest news and planned their next trips to Rotorua together. Sharon wanted to lie in Papa Aroha one last night before returning to Harataunga, Kerry and the girls were humbled to find their driveway packed with vehicles of the many neighbours who came to pay their respects to Sharon.
Because Sharon waited so long to have her own children, she knew she would have a long wait for her mokopuna but her longing for them was clear. Donna was married to James Turnbull in Papa Aroha on the beach (at ‘the Log’) alongside the Whittle family farm on 8 January 2022. Just over a year later, Sharon was beyond excited to expect her first moko and she was on the road to Auckland as soon as Donna went into labour.
Mason Angus Haringa Manawa Turnbull was born on 27 April 2023 and Sharon was besotted. Even though her health was already declining, she gladly took care of Mason for his first Christmas while his parents travelled overseas. At the time, unbeknown to the family, this was also her last Christmas, celebrated as usual in Kennedy Bay with a hāngi shared with whānau at Nana’s house.
With Sharon’s prognosis, Donna brought Mason with her to stay in Papa Aroha and Sharon (and Kerry and Anthea) loved having him around - bringing joy to their hearts during the difficult times. Sharon just adored listening to Donna playing with Mason and hearing his singing, giggles and chirps from the room next to his Gran-na. Sharon’s beautiful best-friend, (and Anthea’s God-Mother), Ngaire McCall in Papa Aroha shared so much life with Sharon. Ngaire’s moko Cian McKinney will share his Nan-Ngai with Mason now Sharon’s gone.
As well as her love for children, Sharon always loved animals. She grew up with all kinds of pets including a mouse named Mickey, snails that used to escape their container at night, chickens, a pig called Margaret and she bought Blaze the horse for her little sister Janice. In Papa Aroha, Kerry and Sharon had dogs, pigs, cats, a sheep named Bunty, budgies, chickens, a parrot.. And worked hard to eradicate pests on the property to encourage the native manu in Papa Aroha. Sharon loved fantails and ruru, sharing their superstitions with her girls. Kōtare and Pīwaiwakawaka were Sharon’s visitors in her last weeks, perching on her balcony while she watched from her bed. Her casket has ruru and karearea on it.
Sharon humbly and compassionately gave care and support to her whānau as they aged and passed. She took 6 months leave from work as she nursed Kerry’s father Vic (Victor) Whittle as he passed on in September 1985. She cut short a holiday to care for her sister-in-law Elizabeth Whittle as she also passed in 2015. Kerry’s cousin Alan McIntyre also stayed with them in Papa Aroha near the end of his life, and Sharon found ways to awhi others in the community as they ailed, from haircuts to Mānuka Salve - she cared for people.
Sharon and her family always expected Kerry to go first - being 5 years older and having some health challenges over the years. Kerry last year built Sharon’s whare alongside her mothers with the idea Sharon could live here in the bay to support her beloved mother Marie as she aged, and where Sharon might be cared for among her whānau when Kerry was gone.