Sharon A. Matorin

Sharon Ann (Sandler) was born May 20, 1938 to Sarella Sandler and Dr. William S. Sandler in Chicago, Illinois.  She was the eldest of five children.  The young family moved to California for warmer weather and to be closer to Sarella’s sisters and their families.  Sharon had a close relationship with her cousins, Anita and Sheldon, and her grandparents, Marion and Abe Chavin.  Her father, William, served in World War II in Europe.  Richard was five years younger than Sharon.  Her other siblings, Jane, Kenny and Abby, were post-war children and were much younger.  Her father was a pediatrician in Burbank.  When she was a child, Sharon would sometimes answer patient calls at their home for her father and would tell everyone to just give cod liver oil for any and all ailments. She said that times were different back then, and nobody locked their doors.  Parents were not as worried about the safety of their children as the world was safer than it is now.  Ironically, she felt this way even as war raged in Europe and the Pacific.  They used to take street cars freely, and she loved going to the Grauman’s Chinese Theater.  She always loved music and would often break into show tunes, even though she laughed at her own singing voice.  She frequently spent summer days at the beach using the beach bus.  She graduated from Van Nuys High School and noted that there were some very famous sports and Hollywood celebrities who graduated around the same time, including Natalie Wood, Don Drysdale, and Robert Redford.  Sharon was accepted into USC for college and focused on art classes. She met her future husband, Sidney Matorin, while in high school at a dance sponsored by the Jewish organizations AZA and BBG.  Sidney was a CPA who served in the Korean War.  Sharon left USC after one year, and they were married on June 24, 1956 at the Sportsmen’s Lodge in Studio City, and her sisters were the flower girls.  They resided in North Hollywood, which was close to Sharon’s parents and siblings.  Sharon was only 18 years old and Sid only 25 when they married.  They were very traditional, and she stayed home raising the children.  They remained close to both sides of their families--the Matorins and the Sandlers.  They visited each side weekly, and the children grew up together. Sharon had four children: Donna, Marjorie (Margo), Philip and Robert (Bobby).  The growing family moved to Woodland Hills a year after Margo was born.  Sharon had many dogs, both toy poodles and miniature schnauzers.  She would sometimes add food coloring to the dog shampoo to change the white dogs to orange.  She thought that this would make them easier to identify and reduce the chance of being lost or stolen.  She had four consecutive schnauzers over the years.  Her last schnauzer, Joy, was adopted just before her first admission to the hospital and became her loyal companion throughout the pandemic.  Joy was at her side until the end. Sharon was generous with her time and was involved in her community.  She volunteered at her children’s schools, and she was a campfire girl leader.  She also donated her time to Temple Solael. Her best young adult friends were Marcia Merritt, Hinda Adler, Tanya Flanzbaum, Sandy Rhodes, and two cousins, Marlene Gilbert and Sharon Siegel.  There was a gourmet cooking group in which they would study recipes and prepare gourmet dinners.  She lost some of these friends over the years, but often reminisced about the good times.  She was a self-taught artist and painted pictures of her children with huge eyes--Donna holding a guinea pig, Margo holding her toy poodle, and Philip dressed in a sailor suit.  She was very proud of her artwork at that time, and it was displayed in prominent places in her Woodland Hills home.  When she was moving homes, she chose to donate these paintings to Goodwill.  To her surprise, an art collector purchased one of these paintings, and along with a story, it was featured in the LA Weekly art section. Her husband went to law school earlier in their marriage and became a tax attorney.  When her children were older, she became his administrative assistant in the office.  They enjoyed building a custom home in Calabasas next to Sid’s brother Harold and his family. Sharon’s family continued to grow as her children married. Sharon was very close with her son-in-law, Keith Garb. Margo’s in-laws, Susan and John Grossman, became very close friends with both Sharon and Sid and were travel companions on many trips all around the world. Sidney was diagnosed with leukemia just as they were moving from Calabasas to Camarillo in 2004.  Despite ongoing treatment, they were able to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in 2006. After Sidney passed in 2009, she made an independent life for herself and continued driving until 2020. She gave generously to many charities, including City of Hope where her husband was treated and to many environmental and Jewish organizations.  She was always generous with her time and her family. She loved planning parties, decorating, setting a beautiful table and cooking.   Thanksgiving was her favorite holiday, and she had up to 75 relatives for dinner.   She loved planning other special events, such as wedding showers for all her nieces, bar and bat mitzvahs for her children and grandchildren, and other family events.  She continued the Thanksgiving tradition even after her beloved husband passed away and her mobility decreased. She was brave when diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer August 2020 during the height of Covid.  She opted for treatment even though she could not be cured. She endured many tests, brain radiation, and infusions given every 21 days. A highlight of these last three years were the family dinners once a week.  She did not see too many people during Covid, but in 2022 did attend her granddaughter Zoe’s wedding in Seattle and her grandson Spencer’s Bar Mitzvah in San Diego.  She was making plans for a double engagement party for Bridgette and Madeline and was thrilled to meet both of her granddaughters’ future husbands, Jonny and Andrew. By June 2023, the breast cancer invaded her left hip bone and caused a pathological fracture.  She had a rod put in her hip and went home from the hospital by ambulance and put herself on hospice.  While recovering from the hip surgery, she considered further treatment, but the cancer spread rapidly. She did not want to pass away alone.  She got her wish and was surrounded by loved ones including two dogs. Sharon is survived by her siblings: Richard, Jane and Abby; children: Donna, Margo, Philip and Bobby; and grandchildren: Bridgette and Madeline Garb, Zoe LePard, Rowan Matorin, and Spencer and William Matorin. She will be missed by all family and friends but never forgotten. In lieu of flowers, donations to the City of Hope would be appreciated.