Sharon Jeanne Gheen

Sharon Jeanne Gheen was born in October 1939 in Shawnee. Sharon claimed her middle name was pronounced with a heavy French accent, as in “Jaaahhn”. But we all knew better. She’s from Oklahoma and, therefore, it was pronounced “Jean”.

If you spent more than about 6 minutes with Sharon you realized she probably possessed the sunniest disposition of anyone you’ve ever met. And not in that annoying please get away from me kind of way. Rather, in that way you find you can’t stop talking to her and the next thing you know you feel like you’ve met your new best friend. She had that effect on people her entire life.

Thanks to her parents’ vocation as possible gypsys but masking as a welder and office secretary, Sharon set the world record for the most moves/relocations in world history while growing up. Example, she once changed schools 5 times in a single school year.

That sort of “ants in the pants” approach to life instilled in Sharon the ability to never meet a stranger and an unabashed love of people. It was sink or swim when you’re perennially the new kid in school and Sharon swam like an otter.

After high school she married her high school sweetheart, Gary Taber. Possibly seeing in Gary a fellow gypsy, they embarked on a whirlwind of relocations due to Gary’s career as a young executive and set off on a course of moves to Dallas, Norman, Atlanta, Little Rock, Shawnee, Tulsa and OKC. (It was later learned Gary had her beat in the school moves dept. as Gary once spent a single week in one school before moving on). Gary and Sharon had two beautiful boys: Jeff and the exceptionally gifted Steve (full disclosure, Steve wrote this obituary). Anyone who knew Sharon knew the sun rose and set on her two beloved boys. Everyone should be so blessed to be loved by a Mom like Sharon. It was many years later, Gary and Sharon parted ways but they always maintained a caring relationship. 

With a burning desire to go to nursing school, she embarked on her nursing career. After graduating, she worked at a nursing home since she always had a soft spot for older folk. Fast forward one year and she realized she had lost too many friends (patients) and would be too painful to continue. She then went in the opposite direction and became a pediatric nurse working with her other love: children. She enjoyed this part of her career for many years to come.

Continuing the “ants in the pants” theme, she did, however, have a brief and wildly entertaining sidebar in the mid to late 1970’s opening a men’s clothing store in the small town of Drumright, OK—think Mayberry but with way more interesting and eccentric characters. The small-town charm was hard to resist in spite of, or maybe because of, all those characters there.

It was during this time she met a gentleman named Steve Mavers whom she married. Steve found himself not only thrust into a new marriage with these two young knucklehead boys, but also now living in this interesting version of Mayberry. Being a “big city” guy from Tulsa, Steve still championed through his new life and fully embraced it and there was always love and laughter in the house. 

What’s probably most notable about this chapter in her life is there was perhaps no single time in men’s fashion that was lower. This was the unfortunate time of leisure suits, bell bottom polyester pants and mood rings—usually worn all at once. And yet, despite this horrific fashion disaster, her store was a success.

By the late 70’s men’s fashion was changing to more sensible things like wool pants, shirts made from cotton and not nylon and certainly no puca shell necklaces, Sharon decided to return to nursing and to Tulsa. Her new life back in Tulsa also brought a change, she and Steve reluctantly parted. 

Back in Tulsa years later she met Dr. Del Gheen whom she would later marry and remain so for 33 years until Del passed in 2016. There is no one who loved Sharon more than Del. Put simply, he adored her. And it was easy to understand why.

Sometimes obituaries gloss over a person’s foibles or ignore their darker sides. But there’s no need for that here because Sharon had no darker side. She possessed one of the biggest hearts of anyone who’s ever worn those bell bottom pants. Right or wrong, she wore her heart on her sleeve. There was never a hidden agenda with Sharon. She was who she was and if you were fortunate to be loved by Sharon, it is something you cherished and never forgot.

Sharon is survived by her sons, Jeff and wife Kim Taber, Steve and wife Kristin Taber, Susan and husband Don DeCarlo; as well as, bonus children, Lenore Brown, Mark Gheen and Doug Gheen and their families; Sharon’s beloved grandchildren: Andie, Morgan, Griffin and Jake, Casey, Megan and Nick; along with great-grandchildren: Maddox, Leo and Eleanor. 

Sharon was preceded in death by husband, Del Gheen, her father and mother, Elbert and Opal Moody, and brothers, Steve and Mark Moody.

 A memorial ceremony for Sharon will be held at 10:00 am on Thursday, January 2, 2025 at the Fairview Baptist Church in Edmond, OK. 

In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial donation in Sharon’s honor to Fairview Baptist Church, 1230 N. Sooner Rd., Edmond, OK 73034. Fairview Baptist Church (Liberty Church Edmond)