Sharon Virginia Weller

Sharon was born on August 15th,1952 in Waltham, Massachusetts to Jerry Lynch and Phyllis Baker Lynch. She is preceded in death by her parents, her daughter, Morgan Elizabeth Weller, and her beloved husband, Robert Harley Weller. She was devoted to her many friends and provided support to her mother’s career as a sculptor throughout her life.

Sharon is loved and remembered by her half-sister, Lynn Penny and half-niece, Kristina Penny Huggins, and their family; sister-in-law, Linda Weller Hernandez and her husband, Mark; Lisa Caldwell Goldstein and the Goldstein family; her long-time friend, Elena Mendoza and her daughter, Adriana Mendoza and the Mendoza family; the Usual Suspects: Kevin, Bill, Jimmy, and Stephen; her step-brother, Oscar Perotto and his wife, Sylvia, and their children, Laura and Martin, from Switzerland; step-sister, Claudia Perotto Mason from Seattle; her half-brother, Mark Lynch from San Antonio, and the many friends she made over the course of her lifetime.

Sharon’s family survived Hurricane Carol which struck Cape Cod in 1954, injuring her father and destroying the family home. In 1955, her parents divorced and her father moved to Texas. Both of her parents later remarried. Sharon grew up on Cape Cod together with her mother’s family. As a ten-year-old, Sharon spent a year in Japan with her mother who had won a scholarship to study sculpture at the Kyoto College of Fine Arts. Sharon’s life-long love of travel and foreign cultures might have had its start at that time.

In 1983, in New York, she met her future husband, Robert Harley Weller (“Harley”), when Harley’s boss, Dr. Kenneth Haines, started sculpture lessons with Sharon's mother, Phyllis Baker Hammond. A week later, Dr. Haines' wife and Sharon's mother played matchmaker, and introduced the couple. Sharon invited Harley, who had a new car, to Cape Cod for a week. They laughed, fell in love, and were married eight months later, on April 1st, 1984. They joked that if the marriage didn't work out, they could always say it was an April Fool's Joke.

In 1985, Sharon and Harley suffered a great loss when their daughter, Morgan Elizabeth Weller, was born prematurely and did not survive. It was a terribly painful time for the couple, and they did not have children afterward.

Harley worked in the holography industry for over 20 years. In 1994, the couple moved to Santa Cruz, CA when Harley co-founded a new holography company with Dr. Haines. Later, they moved again, this time to southern California when Harley joined Northrop Grumman in the field of aerospace optics where he spent 20 years as a Senior Test Engineer in research and development programs.

Sharon was a textile designer by training, who was once asked by Mikhail Baryshnikov to design body suits for him. But she turned down the offer because she did not want to deal with the toxic dyes required to complete the work.

After moving to Los Angeles, Sharon worked in retail fashion for over 20 years. During that time, she worked for St. John Knits, Versace, Burberry, and her last position was at Ralph Lauren in Beverly Hills. Through it all, Sharon and Harley supported each other’s careers, and they were proud of each other. As Harley always said about Sharon, "I chose well".

Ultimately, Sharon loved that Harley made her laugh. She herself had a keen sense of humor and her laughter often filled the room. Her family and friends remember how she always brought good humor and light when she entered the room. She was great fun to be around and her many friends adored her.

When Sharon and Harley moved to southern California in the mid-90s, they fell into a group of friends that proved to be an “adopted family” they would celebrate with on birthdays, holidays and many special events. Halloween was always a big event and “the usual suspects”, as they referred to themselves, would usually be found dressed up in costumes joining the throngs on Santa Monica Boulevard. That was always preceded by a dinner at “El Coyote”, a storied old Mexican restaurant, known for its layers of festive decorations and cheap margaritas.

Christmas Day always meant a dinner celebration at one of the suspects’ houses. They were always jolly, full of laughter. The last Christmas dinner, everyone brought the dinner to Sharon and Harley’s house, because Harley’s illness had progressed to the point where travel was no longer easy. It may not have been as raucous as usual, but it was full of love and the realization of the fragility of their lives and the treasure of each other’s company.

Sharon worked at a number of jobs, all fashion related, but when she started working as a retail assistant at St John knits, it was as though she found her niche. She related to the styling and quality of the product, and soon her wardrobe was full of the knit suits that she represented. More importantly, at the shop she met her friend Elena, with whom she would maintain a close relationship for the rest of her life. They shared a love of fashion, and travel, and good food. After Harley’s passing Elena was able to provide the emotional comradery that could only come from another who had experienced the loss of a husband.

Sharon and Harley were always generous entertainers, opening their home for birthday celebrations and even Thanksgiving for a while. Sharon took pride in her furnishings, table settings and the atmosphere she worked hard to establish. Their home was always open; meeting new people and showing them, hospitality was a hallmark of their generous spirits.

Sharon and Harley enjoyed traveling throughout the years. They visited Yosemite, San Francisco, South Beach, Miami, and once rented a houseboat on Lake Powell for a week. They travelled to Europe several times, including to England, Italy, Spain, and Venice. They also enjoyed travelling to Switzerland to visit her stepbrother, Oscar and his family, with his wife, Sylvia and their children, Laura and Martin. Shortly before her passing, Sharon was able to meet the newest member of the family, baby Olivier, her step grandnephew.

Sharon and Harley were animal lovers, and had three cats- Kosmo, Tuna Roll, and Ebony.

In January 2025, Sharon was at Harley’s bedside when he passed away after a long illness. In the end, Sharon played the song "Harvest Moon" by Neil Young on her phone. She told Harley "I love you", and he passed away listening to his favorite music. Harley was a loving husband for 41 years and she missed him greatly.

Sharon passed away suddenly in Los Angeles on Nov. 17, 2025, due to a heart condition.

Sharon and Harley's journey together started with a trip to Cape Cod, and it will end there. Harley was laid to rest in the Oak Grove Cemetery in Falmouth, MA on April 23, 2025, and Sharon will be placed next to him. Thus, their journey together will come full circle.

A memorial service will be held in Los Angeles at a later date, and a private family ceremony will take place in Cape Cod in 2026.