Sharon K. (Steinberg) Grothe

Sharon Kay Grothe (Appleton, WI) passed away on May 19, 2025, at the age of 64, with her daughter and son by her side.

Sharon was born on December 5, 1960, in Appleton WI, where she spent her childhood and much of her adult life. In 1980, she married her high school sweetheart, Steve Grothe. Together, she and Steve had two children; Amanda (Cory) Cundy and Ben (Lisa) Grothe.

Sharon was a stay-at-home Mom who kept herself busy volunteering at school and part-time jobs, which centered around her passion of interior and exterior design. When their children were young, Steve's work brought the family to Muskego. They spent a few years in Shawano, living life on the water in summer and snowmobiling in winter, before returning to Appleton. More recently, Sharon could be found up in Tomahawk, enjoying Lake Life once again. Sharon lit up the room, so it was no surprise that she quickly made friends wherever she went!

She and Steve enjoyed many years of playing co-ed softball and volleyball as well as snowmobiling, boating and motorcycling with their vast groups of friends. Sharon's shops on Etsy allowed her to share her talents with people across the globe, delighting brides-to-be with unique pieces of repurposed vintage jewelry and countless other customers with one-of-a-kind home decor they were sure to cherish for years to come.

Sharon loved everything about Christmas! This was the time of year when her talent for decorating especially shined. She was known for having multiple Christmas trees filled with her special ornaments. She enjoyed decorating cut-out cookies with her grandchildren and going the whole nine yards when hosting family. She was known for giving gifts wrapped so beautifully that you didn't want to open them and for making her famous caramels (that certain family members were known to pocket!).

Sharon was blessed with four beautiful and talented grandchildren who she cherished: Cora and Caleb Cundy and Brooklyn and Dominic Grothe. She was one of the most hands-on Grandmas you could find! She couldn't get enough of her grandchildren; she was proud of them for all of their thoughtfulness and kindness and was always thinking of the next creative thing they could do together. She passed along those creative talents to Cora, helping her make hand-made Christmas gifts for family members. In fact, Cora made earrings at her Grandma's house which she is now selling at a local salon. Sharon loved listening to Caleb play piano and cheering him on at his baseball games. She even got to see him pitch and make some pretty exciting plays at the beginning of this baseball season! She was impressed with Brooklyn's gymnastics skills and kind-heartedness and loved Dominic's goofiness that reminded her so much of her son when he was young.

Sharon will be deeply missed by her daughter, Amanda Cundy and her husband, Cory; son, Benjamin Grothe and his wife, Lisa; grandchildren, Cora and Caleb Cundy and Brooklyn and Dominic Grothe; siblings, Mike (Laura) Steinberg, Jim (Randi) Steinberg, Lynn (Steve) Wheeler, Lori (Ron) Young, Jill (Dale) Kohl; her mother-in-law, Satoe Grothe; sister and brother-in-law, Linda (Steve) Van Fossen, John (Becky) Grothe; as well as an aunt and many cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends.

Sharon is preceded in death by her husband, Steve Grothe; parents, Edward and Beverly Steinberg; grandparents, John and Viola Steinberg and Roy and Selma Yentz; and father-in-law, Robert Grothe.

A special thanks to the family and friends who provided Sharon with care and companionship in her final weeks. We appreciate you more than you know!

Even the briefest of interactions with Sharon left a lasting impression on many, as evidenced by so many who have reached out to offer their condolences. Despite all that cancer threw at her, she remained inspirationally brave, positive and optimistic. As Sharon would say, "I just want to spend the rest of my life laughing." Rest in peace, our beautiful Momma!

Per Sharon's wishes, the family has planned an intimate Celebration of Life.