Sharon Washington I was born in 1938 in rural Vermont of African-American parents. We lived in an expensive neighborhood (my father worked as a chauffeur for a wealthy businessman), but we were always pretty poor.
0-19 years I was an excellent student in school. My mother taught me to read when I was very young, and I read everything I could get my hands on- historical novels, science fiction, poetry. We couldn’t afford to buy many books, but that was okay: There was a little public library just up the road that I could ride my bike to, and I spent lots of happy hours there, reading and dreaming of the day I would have my own library.	20 – 39 years It took me six years to get through college because I had to work for my tuition, but it was worth it. After I graduated with a degree in library science, I moved back to New England to be near my folds and to wok as a reference librarian in a small college library. I had a good life; though I never married, I stayed active socially and enjoyed gardening, skiing, hiking, and, of course, reading.
40-59 years In my early 40s, I had some problems with migraines and depression; the doctor prescribed an antidepressant. Other than that, I was in good health till my late 50s. Just after I turned 58, I started feeling some pain in my abdomen. I ignored I until the bloating got so bad that it was interfering with my gardening. When I went to the doctor, she sent me for tests immediately and discovered that I had ovarian cancer. The oncologist operated, then put me on chemotherapy but said that we caught it so late that I had only a 25 percent chance of recovery.	60+ years Sharon died at the age of 61 of ovarian cancer. Her will directed that her large personal library be donated to the little public library in Vermont where she spent so many happy hours as a child.