Sharon Toombs and Jim Clements

Sharon Laura Toombs and her twin sister, Sheila Betty Toombs, were born in Kelowna, BC, in 1938 to parents, Mary Lanfranco and William Edward Toombs.  They grew up in Kelowna’s north end before moving to Vancouver, BC, with their parents. They finished their schooling in Vancouver. 

Sharon’s first job was doing office work for Maple Leaf Milling in Vancouver.  She married James (Jim) William Clements in 1957. Jim was born in Vancouver in 1938 to parents, Lorre and Hazel Clements. Jim began work in equipment sales, working his way up to sales manager for Structural Instrumentation, specializing in logging weigh scales.  With this job, came travelling the world to sales conventions and promoting his products.

Jim and Sharon had two children, Danny James, 1957, and Linda May, 1960.  They have two grand children, Jade and Robin.

Sharon and Jim lived in Vancouver for a few years before Jim was transferred to Edmonton. After seven years, they moved back to Vancouver. In 1977, Sharon was so happy to move back to her hometown of Kelowna. They bought a house in East Kelowna and lived there for thirty seven years. Here they were very involved with the Kelowna Golf Club and playing bridge. They thoroughly enjoyed their swimming pool, hosting many poolside BBQs. 

In 2013, Jim, had the beginnings of dementia, so they downsized to a gated community.  Jim passed away in 2018. Sharon keeps herself busy playing bridge three to four times a week and enjoys her daily walks, using the time to contemplate her family and friends. 

To reconnect with her Italian roots, she joined the Kelowna Canadian Italian club about four years ago. It has been a wonderful source of new friends and many delicious dinner gatherings. She has also joined the Legion, where she really enjoys the dinner dances. She has many fond memories of her years travelling the world with Jim. “Life is good” says Sharon.
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Contributed by Sharon L. Toombs Clements