Sharene Ann Gallatin "Shari"

On February 28th, 1958, Sharene Anne Coleman was born at the Catholic Hospital in Estherville, Iowa. Her parents were Kenneth Allen Coleman and Janice Laurel Fronk. She had two siblings Darcel and Steve. Her family moved to Laurel, Nebraska when Shari was five, but most of Sharene's family lived in the Spirit Lake, Spencer, Iowa area. On holidays and summer vacations, her family would take trips in their station wagon to visit them, especially her Uncle Ace and Aunt Thelma. Every two years there were big family reunions, too, which Sharene's Grandma Viola and her siblings organized The summer of '68, when Shari was ten, her dad left. After separating from Shari's father, Shari's mom took the kids with her to Perry, Iowa, where Shari's grandmother was living along with other family members. Shari's Uncle Ace and Aunt Thelma became even more of an influence for her in her teenage years. Spending summertime with Uncle Ace and Aunt Thelma taught Shari what a real love-filled home was like. She learned many valuable life lessons and skills from them. During the summer of Sharene's tenth grade year while she was in Spirit Lake visiting her Uncle Ace, Shari became interested in becoming a nurse. Uncle Ace found out and signed her up for a nurse's aide class in Esterville. She studied hard to get her certificate. Then, she got a job at a nursing home for the summer. She would go on to graduate high school in 1976 on the honor roll and start cosmetology school the next fall. Throughout her life she worked jobs that helped people in many different ways. She got married to the father of her oldest son, Jebadia Ace Downard, during August of 1977. Jeb was born in October of 1978. Then around Christmas of 1987, Shari met her second husband, also named Jerry. He was a single father raising two boys. After a few months of dating they combined their homes. They had three boys between the two of them, Jeb who was ten, Chris who was six, and Matt who was four and a half. Shari's youngest son Isaac Chad Gallatin joined the family in February of 1990. Her children were her greatest accomplishments, and to say she was proud of them would be an understatement. She dedicated much of her adult life to her family, uplifting and supporting them through tough times even when she was struggling herself. In September 2023, Shari was diagnosed with cancer in her gallbladder, and upon learning about the difficulties of treating it, Shari decided to move forward with palliative care and, eventually, hospice once she realized it would give her more freedom to spend time with her family. Spending time with family and friends is exactly what she did. In the following months, she received all sorts of visitors and experienced an outpouring of love from her community. It truly shows her character that even when communication became difficult that she would always respond to "I love you." She was a stubborn woman, but she passed in the loving company of her sons Isaac and Jebadia on March 11, 2024. Shari was happy to have seen her family grow. Her family was a big part of her life, and she loves them to infinity. She was preceded in death by her parents, her brother Steve Coleman, and her niece Tanish Dillinger. Shari is survived by her four sons: Jeb Downard (Cassandra) of Rock Rapids, Iowa, Isaac Gallatin (Samantha) of Indianola, Iowa, Chris Gallatin (Lindsay) of Adel, Iowa and Matt Gallatin (Helen Rosado) of Woodward, Iowa; seven grandchildren: Lilyann Downard, Aidan Downard, Jacob Downard, Nora Gallatin, Nixon Gallatin, Axel Gallatin, and Wesley Gallatin; sister Darcel Coleman of Lehigh, Iowa; numerous nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews, other relatives, and many friends. *Visitation will be held on Tuesday, March 19, 2024 from 3:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. with the family present from 5:00 to 7:00 at Hastings Funeral Home in Perry. Funeral Services will be held at 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, March 20, 2024 at the Crossroads Church in Perry.* Previous Events Visitation MAR 19. 3:00 PM - 7:00 PM (CT) Hastings Funeral Home - Perry 1417 Second Street Perry, IA 50220 (515) 465-4691 hastings@minburncomm.net Family Greeting Hours MAR 19. 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM (CT) Hastings Funeral Home - Perry 1417 Second Street Perry, IA 50220 (515) 465-4691 hastings@minburncomm.net Funeral Service MAR 20. 10:00 AM (CT) Crossroads Church 2810 1st Avenue Perry, IA 50220 http://crossroads4u.net