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Aunt Lucretia and Uncle Ralph were absolutely adored by Sharon. Aunt Lucretia said that when Sharon met Wayne, she came home and told everyone that she finally “met her Uncle Ralph”. It seems she was always looking for someone who fit the mold of her Uncle Ralph.
Sharon would have been flattered by the following oration presented by her Uncle Ralph at her funeral service.
We are gathered here today to honor the memory of Sharon Lyn Steinbach Wyckoff, who came into this world January 23rd 1964. She was the first-born daughter of Betty Lou and Bob Steinbach. And son Joseph came along four years later.
We want to acknowledge and grieve with Sharon’s husband Wayne, their son Zachary, Sharon’s mother Betty Lou, her brother Joseph, his wife Wendi, their daughter, Ashley and son, Michael.
Some of our first memories of Sharon are when as a young one or two year old, she would come to visit us at our house in Wayne, New Jersey. As we remember, she was quiet and very observant. She enjoyed being with her cousins, Lucretia, Donna, Ralph and Mark, who are a few years older. Allison & Nanette were younger.
I remember at the time, around 1966, the movie, “Mary Poppins” was playing and one of the popular songs was “Chitty-Chitty Bang - Bang”, I was fortunate to be able to come home for lunch and if Sharon was visiting, I would render for her in my best, “Perry Como” voice as many of the lines of the song I could remember. I am sure she said, “Who is this guy?” “Is he for real?” No, knowing Sharon at this young age, she enjoyed it and with her vast memory bank, remembered the occasion. So to us, we still think of her as our “Chitty-Chitty Bang- Bang” girl!
Another specialty, was Sharon’s gift of remembering many events and stories of the Ferraro family. This was Sharon’s grandfather’s family. Her grandfather was the oldest of seven boys and he had six sisters. She could have been their historian. She loved to tell different happenings of Aunt Rosie, Aunt Betty, Aunt Lucille, Aunt Tessie and some of her Uncles too. Even if she was not in attendance at some of these Ferraro gatherings, if she heard the story once, it became hers to retell at a later date. It made it all the more enjoyable to us to hear it again through Sharon.
Sharon was an excellent “researcher”. If you wanted to know about a new drug or some important subject, Sharon had a bead on it and was able to tell you almost in verbatim the details and you would come away all the more enlightened.
On our many visits to see Betty Lou, Sharon would drop whatever she had planned and come over to see her Aunt Lucretia, Uncle Ralph, and Cousin Mark too! We were always grateful and honored.
We have to say goodbye for now “Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang” girl. The last lines of the song are “Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang we love you” And all of us here do indeed love you. You will always be in our memory and prayers and know that you are in the good graces of God, his Angels and Saints. We Love You! God Bless You Sharon Wyckoff
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