Sharon Edith Teel (Crow), 76, passed away Wednesday, January 18th, 2023, in Santa Barbara, California, where she has lived for the past 12 years. Sharon’s family held a small private reflection in Tampa on January 28th, and they will gather over the summer in North Carolina to remember her in Scaly Mountain, where so many great memories were created at her
parents cabin.
Sharon is best remembered as independent, determined, and a deeply caring listener, but her love of family surpassed all. At the age of 17, she first asserted her independence by leaving her hometown of Miami. Somewhat secretly from her parents, she obtained a scholarship from her local church and told her parents (not asked) that she was heading to Tallahassee to attend Florida State University. She supported herself for 4 years at FSU and graduated in 1968. She married Bob Teel, also a student at FSU, on December 31st of that year and moved shortly thereafter to Sumpter, SC, where Bob was assigned to Shaw US Air Force Base.
Although Sharon worked throughout college, her first full-time job was teaching grade school in rural Sumpter. In many ways, teaching was a thread that connected Sharon’s career and passions throughout her life. Whether it was young school children, her patients as a hospice counselor, or the students she mentored at Alpha Chi Omega as alumni leader, she listened carefully and provided insightful and heartfelt guidance. Earning a masters degree in clinical social work was a professional accomplishment that perfectly represented her strengths.
Sharon eventually moved back to Tallahassee to raise a family and remained for nearly 30 years. After spending some years near her sister Kathy Taylor and nephew Mike Crow in Lakeland, FL, she lived the last 12 years in Santa Barbara, CA, near her son’s family.
Sharon is survived by her daughter, Cristina Bellew (Teel), her husband, David, and their children, Avery, Eliot, and Evan, who live in Fernandina Beach; her son, Robert Teel, Jr, his wife Julie Teel (DeVine), and their children, John and Andrew, who live in Santa Barbara, California; Sharon’s brother, David Crow, who lives in Asheville, NC; her sister, Kathy Taylor (Crow), who lives with her family in Tampa. She is preceded by her parents, John Crow and June Crow (Goodbread) and her brother, Michael Crow.
Sincere thanks for the amazing care Sharon received from Covenant Living at the Samarkand, Assisted Hospice and Cottage Health in Santa Barbara.
