Sharon Lee Sanders

 Sharon L (Quinlan) Sanders, aged 82 years and 6 months, passed away peacefully at home on Tuesday afternoon, January 13th, 2026, after a final battle in her decades’ long war with cancer.  She was the first of twin girls born to Sherman W. and Hyral (Brolyer) Quinlan on July 13th, 1943, in Sacramento, Ca.

 Sharons’ father worked construction, building roads and highways throughout Northern California, and the family relocated many times before eventually moving to American Canyon in 1945.  While first starting an egg delivery service, in which all family members participated, Quinlan’s Tire was eventually founded on the same property.

Sharon grew up on Watson Lane and started her education in the nearby rural two-room schoolhouse, completing it at Napa Union High School as a graduate in 1961.

 Her first job outside the home was at the behest of her sister, who worked at the newly opened Napa Mervyn’s, and convinced Sharon to take a job there. Sharon soon realized it was not to her liking. Working as a secretary at Benicia Arsenal, she found her niche. Eventually going on to work in San Francisco at the Attorney General’s Office in 1965, she met and shared an apartment with a woman who would become a lifelong friend, Catherine (Cathy) Guy.  They hit it off immediately, and while together only a short time, continued to correspond and even visit “across the pond” through the decades of their friendship.  Sharon would often fondly recall details of the last visit to England with her daughter to see Kathy in the 90’s and never failed to laugh at the mention of the time Marcy got lost in London. 

 Sharon also met her eventual husband Maxwell in 1965, early in the winter. She wanted to go snow skiing, but her brother Dennis was not interested in going with just his sister.  “Well, what about you?  Do you ski?” she asks the stranger sitting on a stack of tires at the shop. And so it was, 5 years later, they married on December 5th, 1970, in Napa.  Living in Napa and commuting to S.F. was tiresome, and so Sharon took a position closer to home with the Napa County Counsel’s Office in 1972. This is the position she would later retire from in 2003, after 38 years as a Legal Secretary.

 During this time, Max and Sharon built their dream home in the Avenues of Napa, and welcomed their daughter, Marcelline. Sharon was an artist, though she always denied it.  “It doesn’t pay the bills” she would say. And yet, she decorated the house herself, hanging the wallpaper and sewing custom drapes.  She dabbled in oil painting, crocheted Christmas ornaments, and truly enjoyed China painting. Sharon was well known for her “green thumb,” and would often make gifts of flower arrangements from her garden, just because.  That talent was also expressed in the floral designs she created for many weddings and events for family and friends.  Sharon also enjoyed baking, but especially the decorating. Practicing for months ahead, she made a beautiful cake for Joyce and John’s surprise 40th Anniversary party. Covered in basketweave icing and topped with glazed berries, everyone exclaimed how professional it looked.

 Sharon leaves behind her husband Maxwell, and daughter Marcelline Sanders, both of Napa; son Ted Sandoval (Tamera) of Lawrenceburg, Tennessee; nephew Aron Quinlan (Suzanne) of Napa; nieces Kelly Charnas (Phil) of San Mateo and Stephanie Fidler (Chris) of Napa; plus, many grand-nieces and nephews.

 Sharon was pre-deceased by her parents, Sherman W. and Hyral B. Quinlan; older brother Dennis and his wife Rosemarie Quinlan; twin sister Joyce and husband John Estes, and beloved niece Debbie Estes. Sharon considered herself lucky that she had the extra years her parents and siblings did not.  Although, in the final months, Sharon would say to everyone she spoke with- “Insist on continuing preventative cancer screening, I wish I had.”

 Sharon was greatly helped in her final days by the staff of Providence Hospice, particularly Hospice Aide Zee Matto and RN/CN Christine Bonifacini, and by the non-profit Share the Care in Napa. Maxwell would also like to thank Marcy Sanders and William Pells, who cared for Sharon around the clock for several months before her passing. They managed her appointments, transportation, and hospice care until her last moments.

A service to honor her life will be held at Tulocay Cemetery on February 10th, 2026, with viewing beginning at 11am and internment at 1pm.

Memorial contributions in Sharon’s name may be made to Share the Care, 162 S. Coombs St. Napa.

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