Sharon Barker

Bangor - Sharon E. Barker, 74, passed away on November 18, 2023. Born on July 29, 1949, in New Brunswick, Canada, the second daughter of Floyd and Greta Barker. She graduated from Fort Fairfield High School in 1967, the University of Maine in 1971, and achieved her master's degree in public administration from the University of Maine in 1986. Sharon briefly drove a taxi in Bangor, worked at Family Planning in Bangor, and in 1984 co-founded the Mabel Wadsworth Women's Health Center with a close circle of activists. She served as the first director of the Women's Resource Center at the University of Maine from 1991 until her retirement in 2014. Sharon received many honors recognizing her work as an advocate for women's rights over her tenure, including the Mary Hatwood Futrell award from the National Education Association in 1997, induction into the Maine's Women's Hall of Fame in 2009, and the Maryann Hartman Award in 2020, among countless others. After retiring, she spent time reading, gardening, and writing cards to her friends.
Sharon lived with her partner, John S. Hoyt, for 43+ years. She leaves behind her sister, Laura Smith, and Laura's children, Matt and Sarah; her sister Brenda Barker; her son, Adam Barker-Hoyt and his wife, Sarah; her son, Matthew Hoyt and his partner, Cindy; her grandson, Quintin Barker-Hoyt; her great-granddaughter, Adelaide Harvey; her close friends, Ruth, Lynn, Roberta, Ardeana, Mazie, Susan, Ellen, Karen, Ronnie, and many more.
A celebration of her life will be held in the spring of 2024. Donations in her memory may go to the Mabel Wadsworth Center at 700 Mt. Hope Ave., Ste. 420, Bangor, ME 04401. Condolences may be expressed at BrookingsSmith.com.