AUGUSTA – Sharon Evelyn Eaton Thorso, 82, Feisty Yankee of Augusta, passed peacefully with her beloved daughter, Tarilyn, by her side on September 10, 2023. Those who knew or had even only met Sharon will remember her for her beautiful smile, spirit, strength, and generosity.

Born in Augusta to Rena E. and Thomas H. Eaton, Sharon spent the summers of her youth with her parents and brother Tom traveling the Maine coast. As a family of pet lovers, their various dogs and cat, Mittens, always joined the crew. Because of these early experiences, she developed a deep love for the ocean, nature, and animals, as well as a sense of adventure.

After graduating from Cony High School, Sharon worked as a nanny to a very special family in Maine and Toronto before embarking on her career in the nursing profession, eventually becoming a psychiatric aide/mental health worker at the Augusta Mental Health Institute, now Riverview Psychiatric Center, until her retirement in 2008. Throughout her career, Sharon touched the lives of many patients and colleagues. Forever generous, she loved helping others and was always eager to give advice, even if only to tell people how to get a better deal on just about anything. Her greatest love and joy were spending time with her daughter and her pets. Many an evening she could be found walking her dogs at Mt. Hope Cemetery or fishing along the waters of the Kennebec River, Togus Pond, and Cobbossee Stream. As a dynamic duo, Sharon and Tarilyn also enjoyed camping, picnicking, shopping, picking flowers and fiddleheads, crafting, visiting the coast, and spending time at the beach together. After retirement, Sharon battled many life-threatening illnesses, recovering time and again to earn the nickname “Energizer Bunny”. Though she endured periods of tremendous physical pain, she maintained her positive attitude and feisty spirit throughout. Even in the last days of her life she was looking forward to learning a new craft, making new friends, bossing around her daughter and nurses, and scheming to get another pet. She was small in stature while being the very definition of a force to be reckoned with.

Sharon will be deeply missed by her daughter, Tarilyn Thorso and son-in-law Timothy Hussey of Portland, Maine; brother Tom Eaton and his wife Kay Eaton of Arlington, Texas; nephew Tommy Eaton of Raleigh, N.C.; niece Kimberly Eaton Sanchez of Grand Prairie, Texas; dogs, Molly and Pepper; birds Fifi and Kiwi; hamster Honey Bunny a/k/a “Hammy Ham”; numerous aquarium fish and plants; and her dear and closest friends.

Sharon loved to discover a road she had not taken and would say “Let’s see where this goes!” Though she has departed on this new journey, may you think of her with joy.

A celebration of life will be held at a later time for close friends and family.

Arrangements are entrusted with Staples Funeral Home and Cremation Care, 53 Brunswick Avenue, Gardiner, Maine. Condolences, memories, and photos may be shared with the family on the obituary page of the Staples Funeral Home website, http://www.staplesfuneralhome.com.

For those who wish to honor Sharon, in lieu of flowers, please donate generously to the Kennebec Valley Humane Society. Online donations are available at

http://www.pethavenlane.org.

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