Our family is saddened to announce the peaceful death of Sharon Galeese Touchton on November 2, 2025. She was born in Middletown, Ohio, on January 12, 1946, to parents Paul and Sara Lawler Galeese. She enrolled at Miami University where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa with an English major and served as president of Chi Omega Sorority. Years later she was honored to serve a 3 year term on Miami's alumni board and a spot on her 50 year reunion committee.

Following graduation, she won a scholarship to the University of Michigan where she pursued a master's in library science, starting a career of 32 years in the library field. She especially enjoyed school library work. Locally, she worked at Bethany School in Glendale, Mt, Notre Dame High School, and Montgomery Elementary in the Sycamore District. She was known for her library creativity, sponsoring fun contests and theme weeks, designing interesting displays to promote reading, and organizing memorable author visits. She loved sharing funny stories about things that happened in the library. Even after Sharon retired, she continued to sub for Sycamore, interacting with younger siblings of students she had taught.

Her creative nature carried over at home where she designed and made quilts. Over 35 babies were gifted her quilts. While at Bethany, she helped sixth graders hand sew quilts that were entered in the public library banner contest, winning the

competition six years in a row.

The Touchtons have been valued members of Ascension Lutheran Church since 1985 when they moved from Louisville. Sharon taught Sunday School and Bible School but she especially enjoyed giving the children's sermons during the Sunday services. Over 20 years ago, she started a tradition of the church sending Valentine cookies to the congregation's college kids, a practice that continues to this day.

Friends far and near have enjoyed the Touchton tradition of designing their own Christmas cards for the last 40 years. Starting in 1984, their 7 year old very artistic son drew the cards until 1991. Sharon was a "collector" of friends, staying in touch with friends from kindergarten, sorority sisters, Fort Scott Camp counselor days and former neighbors and teaching colleagues.

Sharon is survived by her beloved husband, Bob, whom she met in Bergen, Norway, while touring Europe for 7 weeks with two Miami friends. They entered a drug store to find an older gentleman in a US Navy uniform. He told them he was the chaplain on the USS Warrington stationed there. He asked if they would like to have lunch with some of the jr. officers on the ship. Bob, a Philadelphia native, was one of those officers. A year later he came to Ann Arbor for an MBA where the friendship blossomed. Their married life started in Tucson, where Bob attended law school at the University Arizona. They later moved to Louisville where their son Bruce was born, appropriately on Labor Day. Sharon is also survived by her sisters Betsy Dougherty of Naperville, Illinois, and Janet Leveridge of Jupiter, Florida, as well as numerous nieces and a nephew.

Visitation will be held on Friday, November 14, 2025, from 9:30 AM until a Celebration of Life Memorial Service at 11 AM at Ascension Lutheran Church, 7333 Pfeiffer Rd., Montgomery, OH 45242. The service will be live streamed. Please click here to view.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hospice of Cincinnati , the American Cancer Society , Ascension Lutheran

Church or a charity of your choice.