Sharon Cecilia Ivey

Sharon Cecilia Ivey passed away peacefully at the age of 59, 05-31-2024. She fiercely battled against COPD and Small-Cell Lung Cancer. If you know Sharon, then you know that her stubbornness and spirit are the reason it took so much to prematurely end her life. She is survived by her two children, Samuel Ivey and Stephanie Rogers, and their spouses, Samantha Ivey and Joshua Rogers, as well as her granddaughter, Harper Rae Ivey, her mother, Verdell Payne and her two brothers, Ronny and Randy Cobb and their spouses Amy and Kristi Cobb, and of course, her nieces and nephews through them and her late husband’s side. Now, she can rest in heaven; pain and stress free.

Sharon was born and raised in the great state of Florida, and spent her life in Jacksonville. She started her working career young and even met the love of her life at a very young age, John Ivey. Along the trend of beginning her life early, they even had their children in their early 20’s and spent her life caring for others. Not only did she spend her life caring for her family by working hard with some odds and ends jobs, she also was a Patient Support Provider for the State of Florida for individuals with mental and developmental disabilities. Countless families were touched by her blend of tough love, independence coaching, and care. She fiercely advocated for all of her children, family, and clients and always made sure that nobody was taken advantage of and was given their best chance to succeed. Her two children, Samuel and Stephanie, were born in 1987 and 1988 respectively. Despite not having a lot of money, her focus was ever and always making sure her children never went without, got the best education available, and got the Christmas presents they asked for. She truly gave them every opportunity to succeed and they did! They are both now married and rich in family, friends and love, as their parents reared them. Even though she only had two biological children, their friends were also treated as children and to this day, she remains connected to those individuals, who she loves dearly.

Sharon was a wild, free-spirited woman who lived her life for the journey, not the destination. This manifested itself in her many road trips on her bike, with her husband when he was alive, and then later she had it triked, so she could continue living that life. She is not to be told what to do, or what she can and can’t do. Even when she could not work anymore, she spent hours crafting with her Cricut machine and making wreaths for all seasons! As you can tell, she was a very passionate, compassionate and accepting person who truly felt music. One song she connected with in particular is “I hope you dance” by Lee Ann Womack. It’s her prayer to all!

“I hope you never lose your sense of wonder,

You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger,

May you never take one single breath for granted,

God forbid love ever leave you empty handed,

I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean,

Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens,

Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance,

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance.

I hope you dance... I hope you dance…”

We will be hosting a celebration of life for her, at Guerry Funeral services, 12:00 noon, on June 15th, Saturday. 420 East Macclenny Ave, Macclenny, FL., 32063. Please dress casual, Sharon would have wanted it that way! In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the beautiful non-profit organization, Cornerstone Hospice, or if you want to donate to the family, then you can Venmo, Apple Pay or give cash or otherwise in person at the Celebration of Life.