Sharon Patricia Boyer, a talented educator admired by many on Vashon, died on Jan. 15, at her home on Vashon.

She was 75 years old.

Boyer’s death was COVID-related, exacerbated by pre-existing lung conditions caused by whooping cough she had earlier contracted in her classroom, said her son, Wendell Joost. Boyer had been triple-vaccinated against the coronavirus, he added.

In her work in the classroom and life on Vashon, Boyer was known as a tireless advocate for children, especially those who needed a hand up in the classroom or at home.

She also modeled lifelong learning, receiving her master’s of education degree from Lesley University when she was almost 50 years old.

Inspired by Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences and Nancy Skerritt’s work on teaching thinking skills, she also became an adjunct professor at Seattle Pacific University and taught multiple classes on both subjects.

“The word often used to describe Sharon is a ‘force,’” said Jan Smith, a fellow teacher and friend, describing Boyer’s life as a teacher, tutor, foster parent, caregiver and volunteer for Vashon Community Care and the Backpack Pantry, among other causes.

Like many island teachers, Boyer also held a second job, and her years at Books By The Way were a natural outgrowth of her lifelong love of books and reading.

Boyer was born on June 2, 1945, in Marin County, California. She arrived in the Pacific Northwest in 1973, first living near Alki Beach, and then moving to Vashon in 1974, where she would reside for the rest of her life.

Joost said that education had been important to his mother’s family, with one of his mother’s sisters receiving an Ivy League education at Radcliffe College, while the other had a storied career as a female pioneer in the field of technology.

His mother’s own education had been cut short by an early marriage and motherhood when Boyer was still in her late teenage years, he said.

But in 1975, after Boyer was hired to work as an instructional aide at Burton and Vashon Elementary schools, she finally found her calling.

Boyer earned a teaching degree from Central Washington University in 1980 and was hired as an elementary teacher on Vashon in 1982. After her retirement in 2011, she continued to serve as a substitute teacher in the district until August of 2021.

Along the way, she became a profound and lasting influence for many.

In the 1980s, Alisa Church was a student in Boyer’s second-grade classroom. Years later, when she was in her 20s, Boyer welcomed her back to the classroom as a teacher’s aide.

For Church, who has spina bifida, a developmental disability that affects her mobility, Boyer was a teacher, colleague and friend who never defined her by her disability.

“Other people would say, ‘She can’t do that,’ but Sharon saw what she knew I could do, and I appreciated that,” Church said.

Sarah St. Germain described Boyer as a nurturing lifeline for her sons, Adrian and Curtis, serving as the boys’ honorary grandmother in addition to being their teacher and tutor. Adrian, she said, was in Boyer’s classroom during a particularly hard time, as the family navigated a rough divorce.

“She allowed him to be free and stress-free at school,” St. Germain said. “She knew that my kids’ mental health was as important as academics.”

Judith Neary also remembered Boyer’s tender treatment of her son, Rj Ontiveros, after he arrived on Vashon in the third grade.

“Sharon’s patience, kindness and genuine love for children went beyond inclusion and fairness,” Neary said. “Our son started school here in third grade. All the kids in the class had been together since pre-school. They were very rough on him. Sharon helped him find a way to manage and find his own space.”

Boyer also formed tight friendships with those who came into her orbit as an educator.

Rose Belknap, who worked as an artist-in-residence in Boyer’s classroom, remembers how Boyer allowed her project — a unit on whales — to take over her entire classroom and change her own lesson plans.

“Sharon taught to the whole student,” Belknap said.

Belknap said she so admired Boyer that for years, both she and her husband had written in Boyer’s name in school board elections.

“I always thought she would have been perfect for the school board,” Belknap said. “A professional, an actual teacher, who knew and understood children.”

Others remembered Boyer as a fun-loving companion and a wide-eyed traveler, whose destinations included the United Kingdom, Turkey, Switzerland, Tahiti, Namibia, Egypt, and the Arctic. Over the years, much of her vacation time was spent in Kauai, and one of her last trips, taken in 2021 with her son, was an Alaskan cruise.

Nancy Radford, whose friendship with Boyer began when the two worked together at Burton Elementary School, recalled their joyful adventures.

“We went to operas, trips to the ocean, and to Graceland to see Elvis’s home,” Radford said. “As I think back over those years, I realize once again what a treasure I received when I met her … It seemed like her mission was to bring as much laughter to a far too serious world as she could.”

Another longtime friend, Martha Ernst, also recalled Boyer’s ebullient sense of humor, calling her ‘my go-to friend, with no judgment.”

Ernst also summed up the characteristic that most defined Boyer’s life’s work.

“She stood up for children,” she said.

Boyer is survived by her son, Wendell Joost. She had been married twice, with both marriages ending in divorce. She was predeceased by her mother, father, sisters and brother.

A scholarship to honor Sharon Boyer’s commitment to kids and community will be awarded through the Vashon Community Scholarship Foundation. In keeping with her love of language, the award will go to a student who has shown outstanding effort and improvement in writing. Contributions to the scholarship may be made in her name at vashonscholarshipfoundation.org.