Sharleen James-Owens was born on December 30, 1942 in Brooklyn, New York to James T. Smith, Sr. and Helen Foggie Smith.  She was lovingly raised with her siblings, Janice and James T. Smith, Jr.  As an adult she worked for E. F. Hutton in New York as a key punch supervisor.  She later relocated to Mountain View, California with her late husband, George Owens, where she resided for the last 40 years. 

Sharleen thrived while she lived in California. She enjoyed a long career as an accountant with Beckman-Coulter where she was well respected and admired. She was instrumental in planning Beckman’s major events such as the annual holiday party and other company-sponsored celebrations.  She worked for Beckman until retirement.  While retired, her entrepreneurial spirit truly emerged.  She worked as an independent accounting contractor, a real estate investor, and enjoyed business success with her partners in a hosiery company.  She was a jack of all trades.  Sharleen kept herself busy with hobbies, traveling with friends, and volunteering with worthwhile organizations.  She was a strong, independent, no-nonsense individual who was always the life of the party.  The most important thing to her was family and friends.  She truly enjoyed life and lived every moment to the fullest!

1 in 8 women in the U.S. will be impacted by breast cancer in their lifetime, which is why we’ve created a memorial to Sharleen James-Owens of fundraising to support Susan G. Komen’s vision of a world without breast cancer.  Her family and friends are asking that you give generously from your hearts in support of this vision.  We thank you in advance and may God bless you for your donations.