Thank you to all who remembered Sharon Boyd by making a donation to RISE in lieu of flowers as requested by the family. We appreciate your remembrance of Sharon by supporting the work we do to provide services to our community’s most vulnerable.
“Designating RISE for donations in memory of my wife was our way of giving thanks for the important work RISE does for vulnerable individuals and families. We are also confident that any funds that come in will be immediately deployed to do the most good, as winter is now approaching. RISE is a tremendous asset to the Saratoga County community. Sharon’s memory, her care for others, will be well represented through RISE’s work.” ~ Gordon Boyd
The Saratoga County community suffered a great loss upon Sharon’s passing as she was a pillar of the community; generously giving of her time to help others. We at RISE greatly appreciate the support she has provided to us over the years.
As written in her obituary, Sharon was a devoted wife, mother and friend, artist, gardener and ardent advocate for children and the less fortunate, died peacefully on Sunday, October 15, 2023, at her home.
Sharon attended Skidmore College, she majored in studio art, studying under the artist Arnold Bittleman. After graduation from Skidmore, she promptly embarked on a campaign to help others. Her first job was with the New York City Police Athletic League, organizing youth basketball games. She later did social work for New York City, the State of New Mexico and Schenectady Head Start before co-founding Saratoga County’s first day care center in 1970.
She continued her social work in the in-patient mental health unit at Saratoga Hospital under the leadership of Dr. Xavier Mastrianni in the 1970s, then with the Economic Opportunity Council’s senior citizen lunch program. In the 1980s, she turned full-time to rearing her own children after their adoptions from Colombia, South America.
In later years, she became a freelance professional gardener, and was among the devoted local alumnae who volunteered to maintain the Skidmore College Alumni Memorial Garden on North Broadway. For many years, she sang with both the Bethesda Episcopal Church choir and the Skidmore Community Chorus. As a community activist, she was a tireless advocate for women’s reproductive rights, and was active in many political campaigns, briefly serving as chair of the Saratoga Springs Democratic Committee in 2006 and 2007.
Read Sharon’s full obituary here: Sharon Boyd Obituary
On line remembrances may be made at Burke Funeral Home.