Sharon E. Abercrombie

Sharon Abercrombie, 78, of Worthingon, Ohio, passed away on Sunday, August 5, 2017. She suffered a heart attack while recuperating from a hip replacement at Wesley Glen rehab center.
A working journalist up to the time of her death, Sharon wrote an environmental spirituality column and blog entitled Eco Catholic for National Catholic reporter beginning in 2011.
Prior to moving back to Ohio in 2010 upon retirement, she worked as a reporter for the Oakland Catholic Voice from 1992-2010. for a time, from 1999-2005, she also wrote for Catholic San Francisco and EarthLight Magazine, the latter an interfaith journal of environmental spirituality. From 1969-1985, she served as religion editor and feature writer for the old Columbus Citizen-Journal. In 1992 she moved to northern California to study Creation Spirituality at the Institute in Culture and Creation Spirituality at Holy Names University in Oakland, receiving her master's degree. Oakland and northern California, with its scenic beauty and progressive ideals, became her spiritual home from then on.
Sharon's interest in interfaith spirituality led her to the Ruhaniat path of Sufism, and the Dances of Universal Peace. She became a certified leader in 1996, leading these circle dances in Berkeley and San Francisco. For a time she led the dances at several parochial schools in the Bay Area. When she moved back to Ohio, Sharon joined the Columbus Dance circle and served as a leader and guitarist until her death.
A native of Louisville, KY, Sharon was born to William C. Miller and Marie Kern on July 16, 1939. She graduated from Presentation Academy in 1958 and Spalding University in 1962, with a degree in English and theater. She immediately began to work for the Catholic Record newspaper. Upon her marriage to Charles Allen Abercrombie in 1965 the couple moved to Charleston, WV, where she joined the staff of the Charleston Daily Mail. The couple moved to Columbus in 1968 when Al went to work as a radio announcer for WMNI Radio. Al died in 1981.
Sharon was a member of the Ohio State Newman Center and its choir for many years. When she moved back to Ohio in 2010 she joined Simply Catholic, a small progressive house church, and continued to follow the interfaith Sufi path as well.
She is survived by her son, William Alan Abercrombie, his fiance Jodi Arata and three daughters, Hannah, 28, Karlene, 15, and Erin, 13 as well as a cousin Donna Shircliff Mynk of Floyd Knobs, IN.
Also survived by Billy Wickes, friend and surrogate father to Alan, and by her many friends in the Bay Area and Columbus.
A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m.,, Saturday, August 12th, at First Unitarian Church, 93 W. Weisheimer, Columbus. In lieu of flowers please send donations to Homeless to Home Animal Rescue Cat Sanctuary, 1745 Marion Waldo Rd., Marion, OH 43302.