Sharon Stein

CLARKSVILLE, NY -- Sharon L. Stein, age 68, died Sunday, August 28, 2011. Born on November 27, 1942 in Quincy, MA, she was the daughter of Lawrence Gordon Low and Myrtle A. Rood Low. She and her late brother Gregory G. Low grew up in Braintree, MA. She is survived by her three children, Lauren D. Gill (Paul Smith) of CA, Christopher S. Gill of NC, and Melanie C. (Gill) Ernst (Alexander) of Delmar. She is additionally survived by her husband of 29 years Geoffrey N. Stein, her step-mother Carolina D. Low, her former daughter-in-law Lisa Gill, and grandchildren, Rory and Eamon Smith, Peter and James Ernst, and Nicholas Race. Sharon was a 1960 graduate of Braintree High School, attended Gettysburg College and Tufts University, and completed her BA at SUNY-Albany. She later earned an MS in Healthcare Administration at Russell Sage College, Albany, NY. She was employed by the WIC Program at Albany Medical College, NYS Dept. of Social Services, and in 2008 retired from the NYS Dept. of Health. From childhood, Sharon studied piano and organ. As a teenager she was an Episcopal Church organist and later continued her organ studies. In recent decades, she was church organist in Rensselaerville (Presbyterian), Unionville (Reformed), Delmar (Episcopal), and Mechanicville (Methodist) churches. Finally, as Liturgical Musician at St. John the Evangelist & St. Joseph's (Catholic) in Rensselaer, NY, she found her most rewarding musical career combining a great organ, an acoustically-stellar and handsome building, and a welcoming, hospitable congregation. She was a board member of the Eastern Chapter of the American Guild of Organists attending local AGO programs and national conferences. She and her husband enjoyed local and regional musical performances such as Tanglewood, Glimmerglass Festival, Albany Symphony Orchestra, and Union College Chamber Concerts. She and her husband, an oboist, played music together in churches and elsewhere. With Geoffrey she travelled in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. They recently participated in the Orfeo Music Festival in Italy and visited friends in Germany and France. In Sharon's early married years she was a foster mother. Later, for ten years she volunteered with HIV+ patients at the Albany Medical Center Hospital. She recently began supporting the Christian Foundation for Children and Aging. Relatives and friends are invited to call on Friday from 4 to 7 pm at the Applebee Funeral Home, 403 Kenwood Ave., Delmar. A Memorial Service for Sharon Stein with Holy Communion will be held at 11:00 am on Saturday at the Cathedral of All Saints, 62 South Swan St., Albany. The Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys will participate. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Cathedral of All Saints Music Program, 62 S. Swan St., Albany NY 12210, or to a charity of your choosing.