06 Apr Sharon Dunnigan

Sharon Dunnigan

May 3, 1962 – March 6, 2021

A Memorial Service will be held at 11:30 AM on Tuesday, April 13, 2021 at the Bismarck Funeral Home.

Sharon Kristie Faye Stuhlmiller was born May 3, 1962, at Hazen Hospital in Hazen near the Stuhlmiller farm north of Dodge.

Sharon was the fourth child welcomed into the family of Arthur and Hannah Stuhlmiller. She joined her oldest brother Wayne, sister Kaylen, and brother Kerry.

When Sharon was six months old, the family moved to Bismarck where Sharon attended Pioneer Elementary, Simle Jr. High, and graduated from Bismarck High in 1980.

After graduation, Sharon began working at Dayton’s/Marshall Fields Department Store at the Kirkwood Mall in Bismarck. One of Sharon’s mentors there in retail was her Grandmother Minnie’s sister, Hulda. Hulda was a fun-loving character, a class act, and one of Sharon’s favorite people. Throughout their working together they shared many experiences and laughs along the way. Sharon also helped her special friend Frante Aguina at his boutique in the mall. She thrived in retail and enjoyed meeting people.

Soon, Sharon began spending more and more time in Arizona, where her parents had a winter home, and her siblings were living at the time. There, Sharon began fulfilling her dream of becoming a flight attendant. She enrolled in the training, passed all the stringent tests, and signed on with Southwest Airlines, based out of Tempe, Arizona. It was a wonderful and exciting time for her.

In 1987, Sharon had relocated back to Bismarck, where she met and married Kevin Dunnigan. They began their life together and welcomed the birth of their first child, Alexa.

Shortly, thereafter, they moved to Kalispell, Montana, where they were blessed with three more children, daughter Kristie, son Taylor, and daughter Macy. Sharon enjoyed taking care of her family, the great beauty of the peaceful valley of Kalispell and the nearby majestic Glacier Mountains. She enjoyed hiking, biking, and tending to her flowers. Sharon loved to play tour guide to family and friends when they came to visit, showing them the sights.

To say Sharon had a Green Thumb would be an understatement. She got that talent directly from her Grandma Frances, whom she spent a great deal of time with as a child.

Sharon’s array of abundant and varied flowers was something to behold. The beauty of them in her care looked like something out of a movie or a greenhouse. She blossomed when working among her flowers and the climate at Kalispell was perfect for growing all those beauties.

Sharon and the family then made the move to Ft. Collins, Colorado, where they continued to raise their children to adulthood.

Sharon loved to travel and was able to experience many amazing places around the globe. One of her most favorite travels was to the town in Germany where her father’s grandparents came from. She loved telling us about that experience. “You would love Germany”, she said. “They drink lots of beer and shut the work week down on Thursdays!” Sharon had a wanderlust for travel and experiencing different places. She would have taken us all with her if she could have. She loved life, loved to laugh, and always had the greatest smile for everyone.

Most recently, Sharon found a seaside home in Florida, where she loved the beach and the sunshine, away from the busy traffic in Colorado, and the snow and blizzards that would blow through. Sadly, she did not receive the amount of time she would have wanted in Florida, after her cancer diagnosis two years ago. Sharon fought a courageous battle, putting on a brave face through it all. Though we are all relieved her suffering has ended, she will be dearly missed by so many people with whom she held a special place in each of our hearts. We are especially saddened for her children and the loss of their dear mother, but we know that Sharon will be watching out for them every day.

Sharon is survived by her husband Kevin Dunnigan, daughter Alexa, daughter Kristie, son Taylor, and daughter Macy; her mother Hannah Stuhlmiller, Bismarck; brothers Wayne (Sandra) Stuhlmiller, Bismarck, Kerry Stuhlmiller, Chandler, Ariz.; Mark (Georgia) Stuhlmiller, Bismarck; and two sisters Kaylen (Leland) Morast, Halliday; and Tamara (Wayne) Stuhlmiller Sellner, Bismarck.

Her many cousins, nephews and nieces, great-nephews and nieces, and her many special and dear friends, who were always there for her.

Sharon was preceded in death by her father Art Stuhlmiller, Grandparents Albert and Minnie Stuhlmiller, Grandparents Christ and Frances Miller.

If you see a sunset, it’s me, smiling from behind it.

If I go away far, and see a star,

If you find it, I’m inside it.  

~ Anna Williams

To view the Celebration of Life, please click here.