Batavia, IL/Burnsville - Holbeck, Sharon Elisabeth Riley 88, of Batavia, Illinois and Burnsville, Minnesota died surrounded by her family on August 1st, 2025. She had a wonderful and long life centered on the love she gave and received. Sharon loved nature, appreciating both the magical beauty and the fascinating science of the earth. She sang like a bird and could play the piano by ear. She made beautiful holidays and parties, welcoming friends and family. She was a kind and empathetic teacher who was a curious learner inspiring other curious learners. She cared about fairness, justice, the environment, and the future of our world. Sharon was born on February 6, 1937 in Two Harbors, Minnesota, to Fanny (Soderstrom) and Jim Riley. She was a good student who played flute and sang in the choir. She married Fredric Arnold Holbeck, who remained her husband, partner, and sweetheart for 66 years. Sharon earned a bachelor's and a master's degree. She loved learning, and continued learning through travel, reading, and study until the end of her life. What Sharon loved most of all, though, was her family. This love lives on in her children, Elisabeth (Paul) Pederson, Amy (Scott) MacDonald, and Christopher (Miki) Holbeck. And it lives on in another generation in her adored grandchildren, Tyler (Mary) MacDonald, Riley (Andy) Klink, Elise (Rob) Huston, Hannah (Scott) Sweeney, Kailyn (Ryne Sullivan) Pederson, Kristina MacDonald, Jack (Kaitlyn) MacDonald, Audrey Holbeck, and Mara Holbeck. Sharon had 10 great grandchildren, and her love multiplies in them: Brooklyn and Alexandria MacDonald; Henry, Arlo, and Juniper Klink; Logan, Callan, and Morgan Huston; and Cameron and Wiliam Sweeney. She treasured her sister, Kathy, and all of her beloved cousins, nieces, and nephews. She deeply valued and enjoyed her friendships, especially with the "lunch bunch" of her fellow educators. We will gather to celebrate Sharon's life with a memorial service at Brackett's Crossing Country Club in Lakeville MN at 1:00 on her birthday, Thursday, February 6th, 2026. This bit of a calendar delay will allow all 31 of Sharon's progeny to come back together again to celebrate her. Please join us on February 6th. Memorials of this kind would mean the most to her: love your family and music and nature and the birds. Learn something new and use that learning to make the world a better place for all the children. For the other kind of memorial, she loved the National Parks Conservation Association NPCA.org