Sharon Trudeau (nee: Knecht)

Somers - Sharon Trudeau (nee: Knecht) embarked on her next big adventure on Friday, March 21, 2025, in Ocala, Florida. Born on December 11, 1946, to Doris (née Larson) and Chester Knecht in Mondovi, WI, Sharon grew up on her parents’ farm in Davis Valley near Gilmanton, WI. She forever remained a farm girl—resilient, resourceful, and hardworking. As the oldest of six children, Sharon helped care for the farm and her siblings, Albert, Ed, Bill, Donna, and Carolyn. After graduating from Gilmanton High School, she attended the Buffalo County Training School and Teachers College in Alma, Wisconsin, before deciding that teaching wasn’t for her. She moved to the “big city” of Racine and briefly worked for Hamilton Beach. Fate intervened when Sharon’s uncle Lyman, married to Ed’s aunt Laverne, conspired with Ed’s mother to set Ed and Sharon up. A 60-year love story ensued, and they were married on June 3, 1967. Even before they were married, Sharon was helping Ed with the “books” for what would become a patchwork of successful businesses in SE Wisconsin. They were a championship team in business and family, with Sharon as the “good cop,” the quiet strength, and the pit crew. Sharon enjoyed an active lifestyle, supported by routine workouts with a personal trainer. She enjoyed global travel with Ed and especially cherished the time spent at their residence in Florida, where they visited the coasts, attended Daytona Bike Week, took a hot air balloon ride, kayaked the Crystal River, shopped locally, and attended live music events. She enjoyed cruising with her family, top down, in the classic cars in their collection. She wasn’t one to play it safe and didn’t shy away from taking chances as long as she had her sweetie, Ed, beside her. She would try just about anything, including scuba diving, skydiving, ziplining, and multiple South African hunting trips. She loved car racing, often rooting for the underdog. She and Ed were entrepreneurs for nearly 60 years, believing in the American Dream and taking risks for rewards. She pumped gas and checked oil at Ed’s ENCO on 16th Street in Racine, stocked the cooler at Georgetown Market, built the Gifford Woods Subdivision in Franksville, WI, and established numerous other successful businesses. Sharon’s caring and fair nature endeared her to everyone she worked with. Sharon also enjoyed quiet time doing Sudoku or a game of Solitare, watching true crime TV and reading a good mystery. She passed her love of reading to her children and grandchildren. She would yell at the TV for bad calls by the referees during Green Bay Packer games. What Sharon loved most was when all her children and grandchildren were “home,” and they could play games, make cookies, and burn the biscuits together. She was a cheerleader and a soft shoulder for her family and friends. As a pit mom for Ed Jr. and Jon, she scraped mud, checked tire pressures, and cleaned helmet visors. She encouraged and supported Wendy’s adventures, always patiently listening to her stories, offering advice, and sometimes “tea and sympathy.” Sharon was a second mom to many of her children’s friends and her nieces Michelle and Lori, and enjoyed hosting international exchange students. She lovingly cared for her mother-in-law, Helen Rankin, in recent years. Family lunches with her brother Al, sister Donna, and nephews and nieces Craig, Seth, and Chantisa won’t be the same without Sharon. Sharon is survived by her best friend and husband, Edward; her children Edward & Beckie Trudeau, Jonathan & Wendy Johnson, and Jon & Heather Trudeau. Her legacy lives on in her grandchildren, Amelia, Rachel, Cassandra, Richard, and Carson. The number of people touched by Sharon’s life and the number of people who touched Sharon’s life are too numerous to list. Sharon had an amazing smile, an extraordinarily sweet personality, and an unbounded love for life. You’d never hear her say a negative word about anyone. She lived life to the fullest and would want everyone to know that she felt she led an incredible life, was happy, loved, and now she is onto a new journey. Sharon was an almost 20-year breast cancer survivor due to early mammogram detection. During her treatment, she never complained, or missed a day of work! You can honor Sharon’s life by smiling at a stranger, helping others, reading a good book, getting a mammogram and taking chances! Please join her family in a celebration of Sharon’s fast and furious life on May 24, 2025, from 11 am to 3 pm at Hickory Hall, 5844 Douglas Avenue, Racine, WI 53402.

Sharon Trudeau (nee: Knecht)

December 11, 1946 - March 21, 2025