Sharon Ann (Durante) Klavon's Obituary
Sharon Ann (Durante) Klavon, 71, passed away Dec. 7, 2015, after enduring a series of health issues.
She was the embodiment of a selfless person, one who always put those ahead of her. She always maintained when she passed, she wanted to do it quietly with little fanfare.
After marrying David T. Klavon on May 11, 1963, she cherished being a homemaker while raising three boys before going back to college and graduating high in her class in nursing school. She worked as an RN for more than a decade. She believed strongly in giving to others. She led by example by consistently helping those less fortunate or by donating to countless charities, St. Jude being her favorite. She enjoyed painting breathless portraits on china, a talent she inherited from her late mother.
An aficionado of music, she oftentimes filled her home with sounds and unashamedly danced to Neil Diamond – her favorite artist - Broadway shows and myriad other favorites. She also knew how to laugh – at herself and in life in general. She took ribbings from her sons, but knew how to playfully give it back. One of those ways was to constantly sing songs they found less to their liking at the time.
She made holidays big deals and God even larger. A devoted Catholic, she instilled the importance of religion, morals and values, and lived her life stringently that way. She stressed the difference between right and wrong, but gave equal measure to the innocuous, such as patiently teaching her children how to tie their shoes.
She enjoyed cooking, developing her own recipes and keeping those sacred from generations passed. If she had a fault, it was her insistence on keeping liver and onions as a dinner rotation, much to her sons’ acute unhappiness.
Besides china painting, she had a deep affection for animals. There weren’t many years when she did not care for a pet. Her heart had no boundaries. A mother’s love may not be tangible, but she defined it.
Her other interests included nature, flowers and travel. One time after traveling to Hawaii, her favorite destination, she came back and called it God’s Paradise.
After divorcing in 1984, she focused on her career and remained close to her family. She deeply loved her children and grandchildren, never forgetting a birthday or celebration that involved them.
In the mid-2000s, she began suffering a series of strokes that affected her way of life. Slowed down but strong-willed, she made it a point that she did not want to be treated differently.
She was born on Aug. 7, 1944, to her late parents, Geraldine and Dominick Durante, in Detroit. She was the second of five siblings: the late Donna (Durante) Niemczewski; Pamela (Durante) Senry; Daniel Durante; and Mark Durante. She loved them all, always keeping family close to her heart. She would often quote her father or her grandparents. There was always some pearl of wisdom in the messages she passed on.
She is survived by three sons and their wives: David and Donna Klavon; John and Sasha Klavon; and Ken and Paule Klavon; five grandchildren: David, Dustin, Tess, Nolan and Chase; sister Pamela Senry; brother Daniel Durante and wife Karen Durante, and nephew Matt and niece Mary, who was her godchild; and brother Mark (her godson) and his children, Shannon, Jason, Randy and Patricia.
In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that a donation be made in her name to the Livingston County Humane Society.
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