Sharon Lillian Gigl

THE LIFE & LEGACY OF SHARON GIGL

A LEGACY BEGINS

Sharon Lillian Gigl was born in Milwaukee, Wisc., on January 8, 1939. From an early age, Sharon was the life of the party and never met a stranger. At the age of 12, she volunteered to help a friend serve children at Vacation Bible School. While there, Sharon heard the gospel for the first time and responded to the altar call, giving her life to Jesus. Sharon was the first Christian in her family and soon led her Jewish father and Christian Scientist mother to the Lord. It was an early sign of the love and care for others Sharon would exhibit for the rest of her life.

FALLING IN LOVE WITH JACK

When Sharon was 13 years old, her older brother Joe brought home his best friend, Jack Gigl, to meet the family. Sharon developed a massive crush on Jack and was dismayed to find that Jack – ever the gentleman – treated her like a little sister. When Sharon turned 15 and was finally old enough to date, Jack took her out a few times before he left to serve in the Army. Sharon wrote him frequently and enthusiastically, once sending him a 20-foot valentine.

When Jack came home from his two years of service, he began pursuing Sharon more seriously. At the age of 23, Jack asked 18-year-old Sharon to marry him. When Sharon opened the ring box, she was dismayed to find a paper cigar band inside. With his trademark grin, Jack then pulled out a stunning solitaire ring. They married on June 22, 1957.

THE FUN MOM

Sharon and Jack lived in Milwaukee while Jack simultaneously earned an engineering degree and worked two jobs. During that time, God answered their prayers by blessing them with their first child, Melody, who was followed quickly by sons Chris and John. Sharon was known far and wide as “the fun mom,” serving as room mother at their schools and as a party planner extraordinaire. When not busy with her kids, Sharon first volunteered at the hospital as a candy striper then became a Licensed Vocational Nurse, allowing her to minister to the sick and injured with her trademark compassion and joy. And on the side, she worked a job at Target selling wigs. With her larger-than- life personality and unparalleled persuasiveness, Sharon was often salesperson of the month.

Sharon’s family called her the “picnic director” in part because of her extraordinary hospitality. On Thanksgiving, she would load the kids in the station wagon and drive them down to Houston harbor to find lonely sailors to bring home to Thanksgiving dinner. And she didn’t just open her home around the holidays – the Gigls had guests living with them almost non-stop for decades.

In college, Melody began dating an unsaved Rice University student named Steve. Jack and Sharon told Steve that if he wanted to date Melody, he had to attend church. While Jack discipled Steve through Bible study, Sharon would call Steve at the frat house to give him counsel about life (and how to court Melody more effectively). Through Jack and Sharon’s influence, Steve soon gave his life to Christ and later married Melody.

MINISTRY HERE, THERE, AND EVERYWHERE

In the late 60s, the Gigls moved to Houston, Texas for Jack’s job. They began attending St. Mark Lutheran Church, where Sharon became filled with the Holy Spirit. In typical “Sharon” fashion, she jumped in the deep end and told everyone she knew about her experience (whether they wanted to hear it or not). It took a couple of years, but Jack soon followed. Sharon taught Sunday school for decades and led a life group with Jack for twenty years. Sharon, who always enjoyed an audience, also found new outlets for ministry by dancing on the traveling praise team and singing in the choir.

In the late 1980s, Sharon and Jack felt a strong burden to begin praying more consistently for their family. They formed a group with two other couples, the Hoods and Weesners, which they called “Prayer Changes Things.” The three couples met consistently for over 25 years to pray and saw many miracles happen as a result.

Sharon and Jack also partnered together to minister in other ways, including sharing the gospel door-to-door through Evangelism Explosion, leading a couples’ program through Marriage Ministries International, offering prayer and counseling to viewers of The 700 Club, and distributing food and clothing to those in need through Operation Blessing. They even prayed with those giving their life to Christ at Billy Graham rallies. That is to say nothing of the ways Sharon opened her heart to those in need through ministries to the blind, the handicapped, and the autistic.

FAMILY BLESSINGS

In 1998, Sharon and Jack moved to Dallas to be closer to their children and grandchildren. They became involved with Care Center, a faith-based halfway house and rehab center, while Sharon also volunteered with a pregnancy resource center, walking alongside young women experiencing unplanned pregnancies.

When Sharon was not ministering, she was serving her family, including by helping her granddaughters, Kristin and Kassie, lead the church’s children's ministry and cheering on her grandson, Jake, at basketball games. And when Sharon first met Gabe, her now- grandson-in-law, she told the family that he was Kristin’s husband – and she was right!

Sharon treasured her weekly visits with her youngest son John, and enjoyed visits with her “sister” Marsha Kuligowski, her adopted daughter Kelly Thurman, and other dear family and friends such as Myra Swor, Carmen Burnham, Kelly Sheppard, Kelsi Webber, Libby Werner, Linda Davis, Lori Rentfrow, and Susan Bazaldua.

GOLDEN YEARS

Sharon's golden years were marked with her characteristic faithfulness to God, love for others, and delight in making sweet memories. Jack and Sharon became full-time volunteer prison chaplains with a faith-based program called Inner Change. Jack led the maximum-security inmates in studying the Bible and while Sharon led them in singing songs like "Father Abraham" – with hand motions. The inmates adored the Gigls and affectionately called Sharon “Momma.” In her 70s, she joined Jack in leading a weekly Bible study at Reconciliation Outreach, an inner-city ministry for recovering addicts and the homeless. Sharon added smiley face stickers to their homework and threw many graduation parties for the graduates. They also volunteered at Need Him, a salvation hotline where they led many people to Christ.

Sharon’s greatest joy of her later years was her great-grandchildren, Ella, Jack, and Karlie. Whether they were dancing, tumbling, putting on skits, or playing football, Sharon was their biggest cheerleader and top prize-giver. She adored them and the feeling was mutual. And in one of the greatest achievements of her life, she celebrated sixty years of faithful marriage to Jack before Jack preceded her to heaven in 2018.

HEAVENBOUND

Even at the age of 86, Sharon continued her decades-old tradition of praying for her family and friends every day and saw many answered prayers. God called Sharon to heaven on November 3, 2025, while she was resting peacefully. Some of her last words were, “It is well with my soul.” Although we will miss her greatly, we rejoice that she is home with Jesus, dancing on streets of gold. As her family and friends, we echo the words of Jesus: "Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord.”