Shari Ann Austin

Shari Ann (Petroski) Austin, 54, of Stow, passed away on June 20, 2023.

Shari was born to Robert and Diane Petroski on October 15, 1968. After graduating from Lake High School in 1986, Shari attended The Ohio State University, where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy in 1991. During college, Shari began working at Summa Health System's Akron City Hospital, where she would continue to work for the rest of her 34-year career as a pharmacist. Shari dedicated her life to helping others, both in her professional and personal life. In 2022, Shari began working part-time so that she could devote more of her time to her family and volunteering in her community.

Family was everything to Shari, and most valuable of all was the quality time she spent with each and every loved one. She always looked forward to date nights with her husband, Mark, and family dinners with her two kids, Ashley and Kyle. Summers were filled with weekly coffee walks with her mother Diane and driveway hangouts with neighbors and friends in the evenings, where her cat Riley would join along on her lap, soaking up the sun. Mark and Shari are in the process of remodeling their home, and she loved spending her days off helping her father, Bob, with the work. These seemingly small, mundane moments made the most impact on both Shari and her loved ones.

Shari is survived by her loving husband of 31 years, Mark, and their two children, Ashley and Kyle, as well as her parents, Robert and Diane Petroski. She also leaves behind her sister, Julie (Petroski) Menendez, brother-in-law Greg, and their three children, Nate, Madi, and Ali.

We will always remember Shari for her incredible strength, vibrant love of life, love for her family, and passion for helping others, amongst many other amazing qualities. Her legacy lives on in the lives she touched and the love she shared.

Instead of flowers, Shari's family asks that you donate to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation in her memory, following the link below. As a type 1 diabetic for over 47 years, Shari longed for the day when a treatment would be discovered. Although she never got to see that day come to fruition, your donation could make that possible for countless others who continue to fight this disease every day. When making an online donation, you will be prompted to put an address. Please use 4961 Shining Willow Blvd. Stow, OH 44224. https://www2.jdrf.org/site/Donation2?idb=1285560987&df_id=2374&mfc_pref=T&2374.donation=form1

The family will receive friends on Monday, June 26 from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm at the Anthony Funeral Home Kucko-Anthony-Kertesz Chapel, 1990 S. Main St. Akron, Ohio 44301. A service will take place Tuesday, June 27, at the funeral home at 10:00 am, followed by internment at Greenlawn Cemetery.