In Memory of

Sharon

Torrant

(Sperry)

Obituary for Sharon Torrant (Sperry)

On July 1st, 2018, at 8:30 in the morning, my dear wife of forty-six years, Sharon Elizabeth (Sperry) Torrant, passed on. She died in the home we built with the help of friends thirty-five years ago.

Sharon leaves behind her husband Alan, her daughter Jessica, Jessica’s husband Robert Duperre, and her grandchildren Connor, Tristen, and Legacy. Sharon also leaves two sisters—Suzanne and her husband Bill Schreffler, as well as Marcia and her husband Nathaniel Lyman—along with nephews and nieces and their respective families. She leaves behind her Torrant family brother, Russell, his wife Amelia, her Torrant sister Janet, and Janet’s husband John J. Sibley. Sharon is reunited with her parents Jim and Irma Sperry, her parents-in-law, Jack and Alice Torrant, and her brother-in-law Bruce, who was survived by his wife, Johane Torrant. Sharon may get to see her many dogs and cats, especially Kip, Pearl, Chip, and Annie.

Sharon was the third daughter of James Loughlin Sperry and Irma Harakaly Sperry. She was raised on their farm in Enfield, where she whiled away her childhood summers with her sisters and cousins, climbing trees, reading books, getting lost, and doing farm chores. Sharon was studious in school, where she acquired her lifelong friends Marianne, Robin, Susan, Evie, and not the least, Niles.

Sharon graduated from Enfield High in 1969 and UConn in 1973. Originally intending to teach, Sharon drifted into insurance, working at NCCI for over a decade before moving on to Travelers in 1991. Her hard-working competence earned her promotions and respect in these firms. Her pals were Bob, Carolyn, Ken, Bronwyn, and Peter.

In 2005, Sharon suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage which was mishandled by a major local hospital, forcing her into early retirement. Sharon received hyperbaric oxygen treatments at the Trumbull clinic of Dr. Adam Breiner and the Ft. Lauderdale clinic of Dr. Richard Neubauer, where she also received physical therapy at Therapies for Kids, who adapted their programs for the adult Sharon. These therapies got Sharon back onto her feet after the stroke.

Liver disease, likely stemming from a long-ago blood transfusion, appeared suddenly, leaving Sharon with only six weeks to live after the diagnosis. This condition, and the Hepatitis C that caused it, had gone undetected.

All during her life with me, Sharon never attached blame to anyone for anything, and rarely complained. She was a lot of love, and was true to her name—anything she had to share, she would. Sperry family gatherings meant the world to her. She loved her family through and through, and deeply admired her parents. The Torrants all loved her, and she them.

My courting of Sharon in our youth was magical. Her features were perfect, her breath fresh from chewing the wild mint that grew on the farm. She could out swim me and outrun me, her ponytail bouncing along, her dog, Kip, at her side. We had so many woodsy and watery adventures over the years, from York Beach, Maine, all the way to Inch Beach, Ireland. I wish we could do it all over again.

Calling hours will be held at Leete-Stevens Enfield Chapels, 61 South Rd., Enfield, Wednesday, July 11th, from 4pm through 7pm. The funeral will be held at noon on Thursday, July 12th, at Holy Trinity Church (formerly Saint Mary’s), 383 Hazard Ave, Enfield, CT. Interment will follow at Hazardville Cemetery, Enfield, CT. To leave online condolences please visit www.leetestevens.com