Sharon Parks Loftus traces her Irish ancestry to Mayo and Sligo. She has been to Ireland more than 25 times to visit family. Many years ago, she and her husband Frank purchased the ancestral cottage in Mayo to restore the Loftus name to the home. She leaves a little more of her heart there with every visit.

 

Sharon is active in her church and community. She currently serves on the Finance Committee at Guardian Angels Parish in Edison and serves on the St. Vincent DePaul Food Pantry Committee at Guardian Angels where food is distributed to those with food insecurity. Sharon initiated a Lenten program at her parish called, “40 for 40,” which encourages parishioners to place one item a day in a basket for the 40 days of Lent, be it underwear, toiletries, baby clothes or nonperishable food items, for those less fortunate. On Palm Sunday, everyone brings the baskets to church and collected items are distributed to nine different charities with this overwhelmingly successful project.

 

Among the three veterans’ groups supported by this initiative is the Kenilworth Veterans Center/Post 2230. Along with her husband Frank, Sharon participates every year in the Veterans Day flag deployment at Graceland Cemetery in Kenilworth, along with other volunteers from the Kenilworth Veterans Center/Post 2230.

 

As a member of the Union County St. Patricks’ Day Parade committee, she volunteers in any capacity where she is needed. She currently serves on the Adjutant Staff of the parade and chaired the successful Tricky Tray Raffle at the Celebrity Bartenders Fundraiser for many years.

 

Sharon is also a long-time member of the Cryan Association and is a member of the Nugent’s Association where she has volunteered for numerous fundraisers for the community. She is a founding member of the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians, Grainne O’Malley Division in Somerville, NJ, and participates in all their fundraising initiatives.

 

Sharon serves on the St. Vincent Academy Alumnae Advisory Board as a mentor to the current students. St. Vincent Academy is the only all-girls school in Newark and their mission has been to educate the young women of the greater Newark area for more than 150 years. St. Vincent Academy still has 100% enrollment and 100% graduation rate. The mission of St. Vincent’s remains the same, to prepare young women with confidence and compassion to compete with the best.

 

 Sharon and her husband Frank of 59 years, reside in Edison, New Jersey. They have two daughters, Maura Leahy (Tom) and Erin Kelly (Ken), and three grandchildren, Conor, Bridgit and Colton Leahy.