Sharon Dinneen Courlas

Our sweet mother and wife, Sharon Dinneen Courlas, passed away at her home in Kirkland, Washington on February 9, 2016, with her children and husband by her side.

Sharon was born in Warrenton, Virginia as Sharon Frances Dinneen on October 24, 1954 to Ruth and Thomas Dinneen. She was the eighth and last child of the family. Her older siblings include Sylvia, Thomas, Clifton, Edith, Charles, Kathleen, and Dennis. As a young child she enjoyed playing with her brothers and sisters and their many pets and animals on the forty acres the family owned in the hills of Warrenton.

Sharon attended Fairfax Christian School in Fairfax, Virginia through high school, skipping two grades along the way. In 1975, at the age of 20, she graduated from George Mason University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology, With Distinction. Sharon found her passion in medicine and went on to attend Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS), where she excelled in her studies. She received her medical degree from EVMS in 1978 at only 24 years of age. To complete her medical training, Sharon spent two years in a Psychiatry residency followed by two years in an Internal Medicine residency at the University of Pittsburgh.

Sharon met her husband to be, Greg Courlas, when she first moved to Pittsburgh, PA for her residency programs. After three years of dating, they married on August 22, 1981 in Arlington, Virginia, near the homes of both families. In 1982, upon the completion of her residency program, Sharon and Greg moved to Seattle, Washington, and Sharon took a clinical position in Internal Medicine at the Pacific Medical Center in downtown Seattle. She later opened two Pacific Medical Center offices, one in Kirkland and one in Bellevue, assuming the Medical Director role at the Kirkland location.

Sharon had three children, Lauren, Thomas, and Kathryn. To accommodate the needs of a growing family, Sharon changed careers in 1991 to work as the Medical Director of Farmers New World Life Insurance on Mercer Island. This allowed for shorter workdays and the ability to better juggle three kids with a professional career, while still utilizing her medical training. Sharon enjoyed skiing with her family, and they were active members of the Everett Ski Club at Stevens Pass for many years. She also enjoyed camping, hiking, and boating with her family, and they took many trips to the San Juan Islands.

In 1999, Sharon was promoted to Vice President and Medical Director at Farmers, overseeing the medical underwriting and administration for the entire United States. She continued in this position into 2005 before retiring for health reasons.

In her retirement, Sharon enjoyed being with her family and continued her interests of gardening, bird watching, boating, and traveling. Finally, she fulfilled her dream of traveling to Ireland, where she visited the County of Cork, the Ring of Kerry, the Dinneen Bar, and the Blarney Castle to kiss the Blarney Stone!

Sharon will be deeply missed by family and friends alike. May she rest in peace.

In lieu of flowers, the Courlas family suggests donations to the following charities of interest to Sharon:

The Alzheimer’s Association: alz.org
Toys for Tots: ToysforTots.org
Senior Services: SeniorServices.org