DEATH NOTICE: Sharon Clarke, mother of OFS Training Officer James Tickell and Firefighter Matthew Tickell passed away.

It is with deep, deep sorrow that we announce the passing of our mother, Lenna (Sherri) Sharon Clarke, born in Belleville, Ontario on the 25th of May 1938, who left us on the 7th of July 2025 in Gatineau, Quebec after a long battle with breast cancer.  Full of love, laughter and resilience she touched the lives of all who knew her.

Our mom was a poet and a writer who lived whole-heartedly for her children and grandchildren.  She was a tough cookie with strong opinions and a wicked sense of humor who liked to think she kept her seven children in line but also knew she couldn’t hold us back from what we wanted in life.  She provided us with opportunities that allowed us to become as strong and resilient as she was herself.  She had a real sense of adventure, and was generous to the extreme, nothing was too much to do for her kids.  Her life’s joy was found in seeing our excitement over the experiences she provided us with.  Whether it was packing us up for a day trip, or for longer car and train trips across Canada for various vacations, she was always planning our next adventure.  She guided us and allowed us to both depend on her in a pinch and have the confidence to step away to experience our own lives and adventures. Her strength taught us to be strong, her sense of humor taught us to laugh, her resilience showed us that there is always light at the end of even the darkest tunnels.  These lessons are especially important presently, as we grieve her loss.

Sadly, she was predeceased by her beloved brother Frederick (Freddy) Clarke, her mother Doris Clarke (née Gilmour) and her father Frederick Clarke, all of Belleville as well as her son, Jonathon Tickell and daughter Melanie Tickell. She leaves behind her children, Amanda, Jennifer, James, Melissa and Matthew.  As well as her many grandchildren; Denée, Jenna, Landon, Elijah, Victoria, Callie, Quinn, Joshua, Gabriel, Noah, Annabelle and her two grand-daughters-of-her-heart, Bernardette (Bee) and Ivonne.  She also leaves behind several much-loved great grandchildren including one who shares her birthday and many, many friends.

A special thank you to the Doctors, Nurses, Support staff and volunteers of la Maison Mathieu Froment Savoie palliative care facility.  They are tireless workers who all quickly became very special people to our mom in the weeks she spent in their care.

To commemorate her journey and celebrate her life, a memorial reception will be held in her honor at La Cooperative Funeraire de l’ Outaouais- Paviillon Lac des Fees, 95 Boulevard de la Cité-des-Jeunes, Gatineau, (Hull) Quebec J8Y 6X3 on Wednesday July 23^rd 2025 from 1:00pm – 2:30pm.  We invite all who knew her to join us in remembering a truly remarkable woman.