Sharon Lou Horton

Sharon Lou Horton, 76, died Wednesday evening June 24, 2026 in the care of hospice after a long battle with COPD. She passed peacefully in her home in the presence of family. She is the former Sharon Lou Wineland born May 23, 1950 in Avila Indiana, daughter of Joseph Burr Wineland and Rita Mae Koenig. Sharon was a 1968 graduate of East Noble High School. She continued her education at Thomas Jefferson State College (Grand Valley State University) with a degree in Philosophy and Art, and graduated in 1978.

Sharon had a keen eye for beauty and art as well as an eye for precision that carried her through her career as a typesetter at the Composing Room as well as the Frederick Meijer Gardens. She practiced both attributes in all aspects of her life whether it be the perfect placement of a beautiful object in her home or the proper folding of a fitted sheet. Her sense of a job well done was commendable in all her interactions. She was an avid and voracious reader with no limitations on topic, subject or idea. She was a free-thinker that imparted her love of books and thought on both her children; she was a poet and a hilarious wordsmith with a knack for funny puns and word play. The best conversations were held with no set topic but wherever the associations led it around the kitchen table. She could hold court on any topic with intelligence and a wicked sense of humor. Proudly frugal in all areas of her life, she made selfsufficiency a way of life that taught her family the meaning of responsibility. She was well known for her ability to bring order to a space meticulously keeping tidy in her physical realm while allowing her mind to run free.

Sharon is preceded in death by her daughter Ananda Kemler Hughes (David Kemler) of Stanton MI and her husband Robert Lawrence Horton of Grand Rapids MI, brother Fred Wineland of Avila IN. Survivors include her two children, daughter, Persephone Digvijay Rana (Digvijay) and grandchildren Siddharth Digvijay Rana, Nadia Digvijay Rana, and Aryana Digvijay Rana. Son, Gabriel Ransom Bush (Angela) and grandchildren Brooklyn Mackenzie Carabellese (Micah) Annaliese Victoria Bush, and Nathan Gabriel Bush (Hannah), twin brother Larry Wineland (Cindy) sister Melanie Strack (Paul) and brother Steven Wineland (Alexis) along with many relatives in Indiana.

She and her thought provoking conversations and humor will be deeply missed by all who had the privilege to delve deeply with her.

To send a message of sympathy to the family, sign Sharon’s online guest book, or to share a favorite memory, please visit: www.MichiganCremation.com

Burial arrangements are entrusted to Michigan Cremation & Funeral Care, Grand Rapids, 616-452-3006 and will take place on tuesday, June 30, 2026, at 1 PM in Ridgeview Memorial Gardens, 5151 Eighth Ave SW, Grandville, MI 49418.