November 29, 1958 - September 20, 2019
*****Please note, the time and location of Sheryl's service has been changed. The new location is at the Sunset Chapel, inside Fairmount Memorial Park, 5200 W. Wellesley, Spokane, WA 99205. The new time is 10:45 AM still on Sunday, September 29, 2019.***** Sheryl “Shari” Joanne Cappellano of Spokane, WA passed away peacefully in her sleep the morning of Friday, September 20. Born to Willis and Shirly Runquist on November 29, 1958 in Everett, WA, she had two siblings, her older brother Randy and younger sister Tracy. Particularly close with her sister, the two referred to themselves as “twins born five years apart.” She grew up in multiple Washington towns, moving every few years for her father’s job as a school super intendent. She graduated from Marysville Pilchuck High School, class of ’77. She then moved to Eastern Washington, where she enrolled at Washington State University. She discovered a love for gardening, became a vegetarian, and found a passion for ballet. During this time, she enjoyed all her 20’s had to offer, experiencing Eric Clapton, Paul McArtney and the Wings, Bruce Springsteen, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith and many more in concert. In Spokane, she met her husband John Cappellano, and the two married September 2, 1984. They had four beautiful children: Ryan, Kristin, Kelli, and Annalee. At their family home on Johannsen St, she fully engaged her love of gardening. The gorgeous flowers surrounding her home drew the attention of the neighboring golf course, and at the owners’ request, she began gardening there as well. When her children were young, she started her own daycare business in order to stay home and homeschool them. Homeschooling brought many close friendships and built the community where she flourished as a mother with her close-knit tribe of “Home Grown” and “Konos” Kids. The group of families provides unwavering support to one another to this day. The Johannsen house had a firm open-door policy. Friends and family were always welcome. In her passing, many people, who were lucky enough to spend their formative years there, made touching tributes to the woman they knew as a “second mom.” Over the course of her 30+ year career as a bank teller, she built countless relationships with coworkers and customers. She was a trusted friend, someone they could always turn to for a laugh, a smile or a sympathetic ear. She could make the ordinary extraordinary. On full moons, she’d pile the kids (both hers and whoever else happen to be in the home) into her SUV and drive to gaze at the night sky—an adventure she called “chasing the moon.” Holidays held a special place in her heart, and she created fun family traditions. The day before Thanksgiving, she always brought friends and family together for the “breaking of the bread.” All involved helped tear loaves apart to prepare the stuffing, and the ceremony had to happen—even if it was 1am. Wrapping Christmas presents took all night. Her spirit made every holiday, from Valentine’s to birthdays to St. Patty’s Day, special. When the kids got older, John and Shari separated, but she continued to cultivate a warm, open home at the Johannsen house. As the kids grew and found other homes, nothing would stop her from getting to them. Whether it be driving in the middle of the night to Seattle, flying across the country to Rhode Island, or having dinners just across town. She loved to spend every spare minute with family, taking vacations that took her from coast to coast to see them. She especially loved visiting Ryan in Las Vegas and New England, keeping up her concert-going and discovering her love for the ‘Hawks’. She later downsized to her cute South Hill bungalow, but the amount of laughter and love inside remained the same. She enjoyed walking to Duncan Gardens, the Conservatory and, later when she got her dog Theo, wherever he would drag her. She loved driving around her neighborhood in the fall and made it a point to drive by the autumn leaves every day after work. She knew the importance of appreciating the moment and staying in the now. Her grandchildren Brooklyn, Barrett, and Stella were the light of her life. She could play on their level, match their energy, and feed their curiosity with her own child-sized wander for life. If you would prefer to financially support the Cappellano family in lieu of flowers, we welcome you to donate in Shari’s honor to a gofundme available at https://bit.ly/2lgZcLV. The love of Shari’s life was family. She gave her grandparents, parents, siblings, cousins, nieces, nephews, and children everything she had. She made everyone feel like they were her best friend. She always knew the right thing to say, and when no words were necessary, she was relentlessly present. There was no judgment, only love.
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