Sharon L. Boltjes

Sharon LeAnn Lorenzen Boltjes was born on February 9, 1956 to Orland and LaVerle (Colbeck) Lorenzen in Pipestone, Minnesota. Her family lived in various places in Pipestone and Rock County until eventually settling in Magnolia, Minnesota. Sharon graduated from Magnolia High School in 1974 and then continued her education at Pipestone Vo-Tech studying accounting. She moved to Winona, Minnesota where she worked at Winona National Savings and Loan Bank as a teller. She also continued her education by taking some classes at Winona State University. After nine years, Sharon decided to head west to Colorado. She lived in the Steamboat Springs area for the next seven years. She then returned home to her roots in 1991 where she met the love of her life, David Boltjes. The couple was married on June 20, 1992 at the Magnolia United Methodist Church. They made their home on a farm southwest of Adrian, Minnesota where their lives were blessed with a daughter, Haley. Sharon worked for a year in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and then found a job closer to home working as a secretary at Magnolia School. When the school closed, Sharon found a job at nearby Luverne Public Schools where she worked as an assistant to the media specialist in the library. She also helped out at school by taking on the role of theater director. In December of 2017, Sharon had to retire due to her diagnosis of Stage 4 lung cancer in addition to thyroid cancer. On Friday, November 15, 2019, while surrounded by her family at the Sanford Luverne Hospice Cottage, Sharon died peacefully at the age of 63 years, nine months and six days.

Sharon was a member of Magnolia United Methodist Church where she enjoyed serving her church in various ways, including teaching Sunday School for many years. She was also a member of the Hardwick American Legion Auxiliary. She loved her dogs, especially her Labrador retrievers. The greatest love of her dogs was always reserved for her first lab, Walker. Sharon was an avid reader and enjoyed listening to music and drinking wine. She liked taking part in community theater, dancing and cross country skiing and mountain biking during her time in Colorado.

Sharon is lovingly remembered by her husband, David; daughter, Haley Boltjes (Erik Ness) of Rochester, Minnesota; siblings, Sheila Hazard of Sioux Falls, Randy (Becky) Lorenzen of Magnolia, Sharlene (Jim) Vrtacnik of Big Fork, Minnesota, Ryan (Rhonda) Lorenzen of Wakefield, Nebraska; and her nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents; brother, Richard “Rick” Lorenzen; and a brother-in-law, Jeff Hazard.