Sharon E. Cavness

Sharon E. (Waters) Cavness, 67, of Greene, passed away peacefully in the early morning hours of July 24, 2023, at the Mercy House in Endicott, NY, with her loved ones by her side, after a long, courageous battle with cancer. Sharon was born on November 3, 1955 in Detroit Michigan. She was the daughter of the late Charles A. Waters and Doris A. (Walker) Waters. Sharon grew up in Central New York, with the majority of her childhood spent in the Earlville area. She graduated from the Sherburne-Earlville school district, class of 1973. Sharon later attended SUNY Morrisville College, where she graduated with a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management. The true love of Sharon’s’ life was for her creator Jehovah and the family he gave her. Sharon demonstrated self-sacrificing love for her family, friends and neighbors. She cherished every moment she spent with her family, especially her son, daughter, grand and great grandbabies. When her children were young, Sharon would not leave them for someone else to raise, so she made the choice to broaden her caregiving skills, taking care of all the families pre-school and afterschool children, which gave her the flexibility to be a “stay at home” mom. When she returned to the work force, she worked for ARA Food Service as a Hospitality Liasson at Champion Products. When Champion left the area, Sharon took a job with OFC, where she eventually became the Director of the HUD program for Chenango County until her retirement in 2017. Everyone referred to Sharon as the “Best Cook” in the family (even Sharon, to the disagreement of some other cooks in the family ). However, no one could rival her mac-n-cheese! She also made a “mean” family favorite (taught by her dad), cornflakes and gravy. Her cooking and catering of food was known by many in the congregation and her family over the years, as she catered several weddings and other events. Sharon was also a forever friend, demonstrated by frequent visits or lunches with her best friends Mickey Barker and Fred Monroe. Having 50+ year relationships with childhood friends is rare. Other special long-term friends included Fran Rothwell, Debbie Figary, and many, others. Sharon comes from a large family and every family member loved and cherished her. A family get together just wasn’t the same if “Aunt Sharon” wasn’t there. She liked to crack jokes or make a “quick witted” comment, just to get some kind of a response and she LOVED the result. Especially when playing a “friendly” game of cards. Even at times during the grueling tests and treatments, she would bring levity, making a tech, nurse or doctor smile or laugh. She was foremost a faithful servant to her creator Jehovah. An absolute wonderful mom, grandma, great grandma, a great daughter, a loving sister, a cool aunt and a good friend to many. As much as Sharon liked to talk (like all in our family) she was also a great listener. No matter how they knew her, they loved her and she is going to be terribly missed. Sharon is survived by her two children, son, Raymond (Debra) Cavness of Binghamton and daughter, Rebecca (Phill) Root of Greene; grandchildren, Cohen Root of Philadelphia, Sidra Root of Greene, Luca Root of Greene, David Kasmarcik of Marathon, Adeline Utter of Florida and Olivia Utter of Binghamton; great granddaughter, Evangeline of Binghamton. In addition to her children, Sharon is also survived by her siblings, Ellen Loughren of Oxford, Mark (Bonnie) Waters of Maryland and Jean (Daniel) Sharpe of Norwich; nieces and nephews, Keith (Stacy) Corbin of Norwich, Robert Corbin of Norwich, Michael (Terri) Waters of Norwich, Andrew (Sarah) Waters of Smyrna, Bug (Marie) Loughren of Norwich, Danny Sharpe of Bainbridge, Ryan (Ingrid) Sharpe of Norwich and Adrienne (Tyler) Sharpe of Syracuse; Uncle Frank and Aunt Sylvia Walker of Norwich, as well as many cousins, great nieces and nephews. She was pre-deceased by her parents; son-in-law, Joseph Root; sister, Pam Corbin; brother, Randall Waters; brother-in-law, Jerry Loughren, as well as other beloved aunts, uncles and cousins. Sharon was a faithful member with the Norwich congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses. A memorial service was held July 27, 2023. Interment will be held at the Warren Ten Broeck cemetery in Oxford, NY at a later date. A celebration of Sharon’s life, with a Disney/Hawaiian theme, will be held on Sunday, September 3, 2023 at the VFW Post 2782 in Norwich, NY from 2:00 – 6:00 pm. Memorial contributions in Sharon’s memory may be made to the Mercy House of the Southern Tier, 212 North McKinley Ave, Endicott, NY, 13760 or Hospice of Broome County. Friends and Family may share memories and condolences at www.rootfh.com.

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