Sharon Lee Marty

Sharon Lee Marty, 84, of Red Wing, passed away at Elysian Fields in Red Wing on Friday August 29, 2025 surrounded by her loving Family. She was born to John and Elaine (Nugent) Flueger on June 6, 1941 in Red Wing Minnesota. Sharon grew up in Red Wing and graduated from Red Wing Central High School in 1959. She was active in speech, theater and music. Sharon completed her first year of post-high school education at the College of St. Teresa in Winona. In January 1960 of her freshman year Sharon’s Mom passed away unexpectedly from complications of the Asian flu. For her sophomore year Sharon transferred to UW River Falls so she could stay close to home and help with her younger siblings. During this time Sharon and future husband Dick started dating after he worked with his dad on repairs to the 2nd story of the Flueger home on E 7th St. after a house fire. Sharon and Dick married August 26th 1961. Sharon and Dick lived in St. Paul with their three children until 1974 when they moved to Red Wing to live in the country on land purchased from her Dad. They were able to have horses, dogs, the joy of hilly icy driveways, a troublesome goat and dusty dirt roads. Sharon loved the outdoors and was never afraid to try anything, was always ready to pitch in with hay and sheep shearing at her Dad’s farm and rode horses all her life. She was organized, progressive, smart, outspoken and an excellent public speaker. 

Sharon had many jobs and always loved working in roles that helped others. In High School she was a life guard and early in her marriage she was a receptionist where she was upset to return to her job after the birth of her daughter and find out she had been replaced as they did not expect a married mother to want to continue working. Mom worked at the Red Wing High school media center, was a swimming instructor at the Twin Bluff pool and was the volunteer director at the Minnesota Correctional Facility-Red Wing. One of the jobs she was proudest of was being the first director of the newly formed Red Wing Area Hospice Program. Sharon loved hospice, but her dream was to work in HR helping people navigate their careers. After being turned down for a role as an HR director due to lack of a 4 year education, Mom returned to UW River Falls and graduated in December of 1992 at the age of 51 with a major in psychology and a minor in business. Sharon ultimately became the Human Resources Manager at S.B. foot and worked at the tannery for 13 years before retiring in 2006 at the age of 65. She truly loved her job from hiring to helping all the workers navigate their company benefits. Sharon lost her husband Dick to cancer in 2001. She continued to live in their country home for several more years, putting her family to work helping with upkeep that usually involved cutting down trees. 

Sharon moved ‘to town’ in 2010 after finding the perfect town home with a view of the woods, room for flowers and many wonderful neighbors. She traveled to Ireland, Greece, New Zealand and around the US and was active in PEO, on local boards and as a volunteer. Sharon was never one to sit still and usually had a list for herself and often for others. Sharon taught us all the value of ‘Many hands make light work’ and nothing made her happier than seeing a bundle of Fluegers at a Spring cleanup at Flueger Springs and having a list ready for them to attack. Sharon’s family was her pride and joy. She was proud of everything they did and exceptionally happy when they married amazing people who showered her with love and the gift of grandchildren. Sharon was famous for having ‘Grandma day’ once a week with her grandchildren, writing annual Birthday letters for them and throughout her life she built many wonderful memories with her family by attending sporting events, celebrating holidays and finding projects to include everyone in. Sharon was especially fortunate to be blessed with and spend time with two great granddaughters and without the special love of her ‘daughter’ Pam, her checkbook might never have balanced. Her extended Flueger family was also a joy to her. Her brothers and sisters and nieces and nephews were a constant presence in her life and nothing made her happier than spending time with them all. It should also be noted that a chai tea from Mandys made Sharon pretty dang happy as well and she would often wonder why you didn’t bring her one if you arrived in the morning empty handed. 

Sharon is survived by her children, Lisa (Chad Dodge) Marty, Scott (Deborah) Marty, Dale (Keri) Marty, and Pam Fahnlander; grandchildren Carley Marty, Nadine (Jared Strusz) Marty, Riley Marty, Sylvia Marty, Sean Marty, Liam Marty, Autumn Dodge, and Wiley Dodge; great-grandchildren, Ella Strusz, and Alle Strusz; Siblings, Heidi Leeson, Barney Flueger, Susan Flueger Nevitt, Kevin Charles (Kim) Flueger, Joann (David) Anderson, Nora (Todd) Avery, Ed Flueger and many nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her husband, Richard Marty and parents, John B. and Elaine Flueger. She was also preceded in death by brothers-in-law Tim Nevitt and Clark Leeson and sister-in-law Mary Flueger. 

A Mass of Resurrection will be held on Thursday September 4, 2025 at 10:30 a.m. at the Church of St. Joseph with Father James Notebaart officiating. A visitation will be held the night prior at Mahn Family Funeral Home Bodelson-Mahn Chapel on Wednesday, September 3, 2025 from 4-7 p.m. and one hour prior to the service at the church. Interment will take place at Calvary Cemetery in Red Wing. Memorials are preferred to Red Wing ELC, Red Wing PEO Chapter ET or Minnesota Public Radio.