Obituary: Sharon Elaine Dufel

Sharon Elaine Dufel, 77, of Hudson, passed away at the Grundy Care Center. She was born in Waterloo on August 8, 1949, daughter of Henry and Aneita (Gjovig) Zander. Sharon graduated from Waterloo West High School in 1967, then attended the University of Iowa for one year. She married Garry Lee Dufel on December 19, 1969, at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Waterloo. Sharon worked for Northwestern Bell Telephone Co. in Waterloo beginning in 1969, then for Qwest in Waterloo before transferring to Des Moines, “retiring” in 2001. She, then, worked for VGM in Waterloo from 2001 until she retired, again, in 2015.

Sharon was preceded in death by her parents. She is survived by her husband of nearly 57 years; her daughter, Stephanie (Patrick) Benoit of Hudson; granddaughter, Noel; sister, Elaine (Mark) Slade of Janesville; and her best friend since Kindergarten, Becky Henninger.

Sharon’s Funeral was held at Zion Lutheran Church of Hudson with Visitation at Dahl-Van Hove-Schoof Funeral Home. Burial followed at Zion Lutheran Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Zion Lutheran Church or the Alzheimer's Association.

Sharon enjoyed her quiet life with Garry. She was a very patient woman and found a lot of satisfaction in helping others. Sharon was an avid Hawkeye football fan, liked to paint landscapes and going fishing in Canada. She and Garry shared a passion for going to car shows. But, above all else, Sharon cherished time spent with her precious granddaughter, Noel. She will be missed by those who knew and loved her.