Kay Shariff

Laveen, Ariz.

Kay Shariff, 77, of Laveen (Phoenix), Arizona, died at home on January 16, 2023 with her loving family by her side. Kay Louise Schoenwald was born in Minot, North Dakota, the third of four children born to Melvin and Dorothy (Harshberger) Schoenwald. The Schoenwalds moved from Minot, North Dakota to Walla Walla, Washington in 1956. They moved to Spokane, Washington three years later, where she completed high school.

At the age of 16, she travelled alone to Moose, Wyoming to work for the summer on the Triangle X dude ranch. She enjoyed it so much that she returned the following summer with her lifelong friend Patti. She attended college at Central Washington College of Education (now Central Washington University) in Ellensburg, Washington, and later at Nevada State University (now UNLV).

Kay then moved to Southern California. She was working at a bank in Northridge in the late ’60s where she met her future husband Asghar Shariff. They were married on August 9, 1969, and had their son, Shahrom Shaun Shariff, on October 7, 1970. Kay enjoyed travelling and camping. She and Asghar lived in Iran and the Netherlands in the early ’70s before returning to Southern California. Kay worked as an accountant at California State University, Northridge from 1976 to 1980, when they moved to Northern Virginia for a better job opportunity for Asghar.

They later lived in Rawlins and Casper, Wyoming before retiring to Laveen, Arizona. The family enjoyed travelling throughout the US and Canada, and visited more than 20 US National Parks. Kay doted on her family and friends with her wonderful cooking. She mastered Persian cooking as well as western cuisine.

She also had a fantastic green thumb. Her yards and gardens were full of flowers and vegetables, and her house was always full of many beautiful plants and trees. Her interest in family history led her to become an accomplished genealogist. She wrote two books about her family. In June 1991, she completed the first edition of “Our Schoenwald Family in America”, and six years of research culminated in the publishing of “The Klinner Family in Volhynia, Russia and the United States” in June 1996. She was a member of a number of genealogical societies, and was the treasurer of the Strong Family Association of America for many years. She helped relatives and strangers alike learn more about their families and connected them with the many resources she was involved with.

Kay will be remembered for her intelligence, her sweet nature, her passion for helping others, and for her wonderful sense of humor, which remained intact until the very end. She touched a lot of people and was adored by many.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her brothers Richard and Jim, and her sister Susan Smith. She is survived by her husband Asghar of Laveen, Arizona, and her son Shaun of Santa Monica, California. A celebration of life will be held at a later date.

Published by The Minot Daily News, February 21, 2023.