Sharon Vander Valk

Sharon Rose Vander Valk (née Hochstein) loved the prairies and the mountains, and it is where she started and ended her time here, on September 30, 2023.

Born in Pincher Creek on December 6, 1943, to Edith (Toots) and Cyril Hochstein, the only daughter with four brothers (Gerald, Leonard, Alan, Spencer), Sharon grew up in the farming and ranching community, spending much time at the family cottage in Waterton, as well. Meeting and marrying Pieter Vander Valk in 1968, they started their family in Pincher Creek while both farming and teaching school. After moving in 1978, they raised their family in Calgary-still spending summers in Waterton-before retiring back to Pincher Creek in 2008.

Throughout the years, Sharon maintained her love and connection to her rural roots, and her deep love of Waterton. At her happiest, she would drive the backroads of the area, telling her children-and then her grandchildren-the stories of their connections to the land and the families of the Pincher Creek area.

An avid (and excellent) bridge player, reader, and lover of home-improvement television, Sharon loved a good conversation with a cup of coffee. She maintained her ‘prairie-hospitality’ until the end, and her door was always open to old and new friends (of which she had many) and family from near and far. She is survived by her husband Pieter, and their three children: Frank (Jill), Mieke, and Paul (Donna), as well as six grandchildren: Zoe, Jack, Noah, Jacob, Keenan, and Parker. The gap she has left in the lives of many will never be filled.

At Sharon’s request, no Funeral Service will be held. A celebration of her life will be planned at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Kidney Foundation of Canada.