Sharon Ann (Fish) Van Rysselburghe, 79, from Chaska, formerly of Kansas, died peacefully Tuesday, January 31, 2023 at St. Francis Regional Medical Center in Shakopee.

A memorial service will be held at a later date in Kansas.

Sharon was born on July 28, 1943 in Orange, California, the only child of James and November (Kaiser) Fish. She spent her childhood in California and moved with her family to Wamego, Kansas in 1949. She attended primary school in Wamego and graduated from Wamego High School in 1961. She attended Kansas State University and the University of Kansas, where she earned her certification as a medical technician in Kansas. She then moved briefly to Yuma, Arizona, before returning to Kansas, where she worked for the Soil Conservation Service as the district clerk of the Pottawatomie County Soil Conservation Service. She then worked as a children’s librarian at the Wamego Public Library and served on the library’s board of trustees for four years. She then took a job at Kansas State University’s Hale Library, where she retired in 2012 after 22 years. Even after her retirement, she remained an avid reader and avid researcher. She was a member of the First Assembly of God Church in Manhattan, Kansas and the Kansas Library Association. She married Ronald Thomas Van Risselberg on September 30, 1967. After that she divorced. They had a child named Christie.

Sharon could brighten up any room with her smile. Her health was deteriorating, but her joy in life and fortitude kept her trying to make as many new memories as possible. Her caring, inquiring mind and sincerity were evident to everyone she came into contact with.

She is survived by her daughter Christy Holcomb and her stepson Greg Holcomb of Carver, Minnesota. One grandson, Hunter Holcombe of Colorado.

The funeral arrangements were made by Mr. and Mrs. Berthas.

Chaska Funeral Home and Cremation Services.