Sharon Rush

Falmouth and East Millinocket - Sharon Mary Callnan Rush, 74, died October 1, 2016 at Sedgewood Commons in Falmouth, ME. She was born in Houlton, ME on July 12, 1942 at the Madigan Memorial Hospital, the second daughter of Albert M. and Ethel (Denning) Callnan. She graduated from St. Mary’s Elementary School, Houlton, and St. Joseph’s Academy, Portland, class of 1960, both staffed by the Sisters of Mercy. She earned her B.A. degree in history at Regis College, Weston, MA, in 1964, followed by graduate work at the University of Maine in Orono. She enjoyed teaching history at Caribou Junior High School from 1964-1968, and was a member of the American University Women while in Caribou. Sharon married Harry A.M. Rush, Jr. on August 10, 1968 at St. Mary’s Church, Houlton. They lived in East Millinocket where he taught languages at Schenck High. Together they supported the education of all young people and immersed themselves in school activities, their civic community, and St. Peter’s Parish. A farmer’s daughter who loved nature and all growing things, she cultivated a beautiful garden and loved to share her flowers with others. She was a full-time homemaker and devoted care coordinator for her both her parents and her husband’s family members. Sharon was a woman of great faith who delighted in a simple ministry of “the note and the napkin”, sending specially selected, encouraging notes and updates to a wide circle of friends, and bringing her homemade food treats to many shut-ins. She was also an avid reader who followed political and global news with keen interest and insight. She was predeceased by her parents, parents in law, Harry Sr. (H.A.M.) and Mary Florence (Willett) Rush, and many Callnan and Denning aunts and uncles, including a special aunt, Madeline Denning Weener. When her beloved husband and caretaker, Harry Rush, died in 2015, her sister, Sister Miriam Therese Callnan (Helen), RSM, brought her to southern Maine for Alzheimer’s care. Others important to Sharon were her four godsons, including Christian Jacobson; Callnan and Denning cousins, including Mary Brockway and Michael Callnan; many friends, among them the Bonis, Jamo, and Provenzano families, SJA classmates Sheila Jacobson and Mari Cote, and many Sisters of Mercy. Her family is deeply indebted to these support and healthcare providers for Sharon: InHome Care, East Millinocket; Katahdin Health Care, Millinocket; Sedgewood Commons, Falmouth; and VNA Hospice, South Portland. Friends are invited to visit and pay respects 4-6 P.M. Tuesday, October 4, 2016 at the Lamson Funeral Home, 17 Western Ave., East Millinocket. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated 11:00 A.M. Wednesday, October 5, 2016 at St. Peter’s Church of Christ the Divine Mercy Parish, 58 Cedar St., East Millinocket with Rev. Bruce Siket, pastor, presider. Interment will be in the Millinocket Cemetery with her husband Harry. Donations may be given in her memory to Christ the Divine Mercy Parish or to the charity of one’s choice.