MARICH, Sharon “Sharie” Anne (Birtwell) Marich of Hingham, Massachusetts, passed away peacefully on August 14th surrounded by her loving family after a courageous battle with cancer. She was 72.
Born in Newton, Massachusetts, on August 19, 1953, Sharie grew up in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. Adored by her two older brothers, she became a second mother to her younger brother and two younger sisters. Family remained at the center of her life, and she never stopped looking out for those around her.
After graduating from Marquette University, Sharie began her career as a physical therapist at The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, where she met her future husband, Mark, in an elevator. That chance encounter proved to be the luckiest moment in both of their lives.
After moving to Boston, Sharie practiced at Massachusetts General Hospital and taught orthotics and prosthetics at Simmons University while she and Mark raised five children in Dedham, MA. She later joined the Dedham Public Schools where she worked as a PT focusing on children with physical disabilities. More than a physical therapist, she became a trusted advocate for the children and families she served, always finding a way to help far beyond what her job required.
Sharie had a gift for making people feel they mattered. She was extremely outgoing, energetic, fiercely loyal, and endlessly curious. She told the best stories and was always on the move, usually on her way to help someone. Her car became a mobile office as she traveled to work, volunteer activities, book clubs, sports fields, hockey rinks, and family events. However busy she was, she always made time for a conversation or friendly advice.
A natural-born problem solver and connector, Sharie took action. If a child needed a winter coat, she bought one. If a friend faced a medical challenge, she made calls and found the right doctor for them. Sharie never arrived anywhere empty-handed. She was always holding something to brighten the day. Her generosity was practical, personal, and often delicious.
Sharie loved adventure and traveling the world. She loved skiing, sailing, biking, hiking, golf, and pickleball, especially with good friends. She was always up for friendly competition and plenty of laughter. Once all her kids were grown, and after retirement, she and Mark moved to Hingham, drawn by the ocean and the active golf community at Black Rock, where they have lived since 2012 and treasured hosting large groups for every holiday.
For most of her life, Spec Pond was a second home. There she spent countless summer hours with her immediate and “lake” family, swimming, boating, water skiing, and playing endless games of Pounce. An extremely talented pianist, she loved playing for herself and for anyone lucky enough to be within hearing range. It was very important to Sharie that all her children had music in their lives and that each learned at least one song they could play at a cocktail party!
Sharie’s greatest joy was her family. She was a devoted wife, loving mother, adoring grandmother and fiercely loyal sister and friend, and a woman of deep Catholic faith. Her grandchildren called her “She-She,” a name that captured the warmth and affection she inspired. Nothing made her happier than being surrounded by them.
Sharie is deeply missed by her devoted husband of 48 years, Mark S. Marich of Hingham, MA; her five children, Christopher (Erin) Marich of New Canaan, CT; Lindsey (Christopher) Owen of Manhasset, NY; Sarah (Jonathan) Clapton of Canton, MA; Jonathan (Anna) Marich of Norwood, MA; and David (Margaux) Marich of Toms River, NJ; and her nine grandchildren, Benjamin (15), Hadley (13), Cameron (12), Lucy (9), Chase (9), Jackson (8), Casey (4), Nathan (2) and William (3 months).
She is also survived by her five siblings and their spouses, Edwin & Catherine Birtwell, John & Jane Birtwell, Christopher & Jodi Birtwell, Kathleen & Stuart Hughes, and Nancy & Scott Hines, as well as numerous nieces and nephews, an aunt, cousins, and a remarkable number of close friends whose lives were made better simply by knowing her. Sharie was predeceased by her parents, John & Anne Birtwell of Lancaster, MA.
Sharie will be remembered for her infectious enthusiasm, her gift for bringing people together and her instinct to help. She made ordinary moments feel worth celebrating and she never once complained. She loved without reservation and showed it not just in words, but in the countless things she did for the people around her. Her family and friends will miss her laughter, her advice, her daily phone calls and generosity. Above all, they will miss the unmistakable feeling that when Sharie was around, someone was looking out for you.
Calling hours will be held on Monday, August 24th from 3:00pm-7:00pm at St. Sebastian’s School, Burke Family Center, 1191 Greendale Avenue, Needham, MA 02492. A Funeral Mass will be held on Tuesday, August 25th at 11:00am at Resurrection Church, 1057 Main Street, Hingham, MA 02043 with a reception to follow at Black Rock Country Club.
In lieu of flowers, the family invites contributions to St. Sebastian’s School, to establish the Sharon A. Marich Scholarship Fund. The family will be notified of all gifts made in Sharie’s memory at www.stsebs.org/give