Sharon Dalrymple knows it. She’s got some big shoes to fill.<\/p>\n
“I’d like to think that I’m picking up the torch that he carried,” she says.<\/p>\n
She’s trying not to cry but you can hear how much she misses him. Her beloved husband, Doug, who was a well-known, well-liked, community-minded man, passed away two years ago. The two worked side by side at the Huntsville Salvation Army for more than four decades and now that he’s gone Sharon’s finding the festive season a little bit more difficult to embrace without him. The wound of him not being here is still fresh. In fact, Sharon says, she had a bit of an emotional meltdown last week.<\/p>\n
One day it’s alright and then all of a sudden it seems things come upon you and you think to yourself, ‘Okay, I have to keep going’. Christmas was his baby. Doug enjoyed Christmas and the toy drive and food drive and everything else. He was involved in so many things.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
And that’s the truth. Doug did everything from helping organize the annual food and toy drives, to collecting donations through the Christmas kettles and anything else that needed to be done. On more than one occasion, he personally delivered a car-load of gifts to a family in need. For Doug, it was always about the kids. It was his self-given mission to make sure that every family\u2014and specifically every child\u2014got to have an extra-special Christmas. And although he’s gone, Sharon is doing her best to spread Christmas cheer the way her husband did. (Of course, they met at a Salvation Army function and enjoyed 44 years of marriage!)<\/p>\n
Doug was like the Salvation Army’s own personal Santa Claus. He cared so much about bringing joy to kids.<\/p><\/div>\n
Being the Salvation Army’s administrative assistant\/bookkeeper means most days are spent at her desk busy crunching numbers and doing whatever it is that needs to be done administratively speaking. But it also means that Sharon’s smiling face may be the first one to greet you when you enter the building. Her kindness makes her approachable and she genuinely cares about people. She is the perfect fit, just as Doug was.<\/p>\n
You’re not to be proud, but I am. As you grow older, you learn to not judge people the way you do when you’re younger. I have to be unconditional. It’s my responsibility to the people and to the world.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Her eyes were first opened to the good of the Salvation Army when she was just six years old. That’s when Sharon’s family attended what they thought was a community Christmas concert. As it turned out, it was a Christmas concert, however it was being held by the Salvation Army church. That particular event was significant as it opened the door to Sharon then attending the church’s Sunday school which eventually led to her involvement in volunteering. She’s been a part of the organization for over 60 years and has done a little bit of everything over the years. In 2007, she was lucky enough to land a full-time job at the Salvation Army after a long career at Huntsville District Memorial Hospital.<\/p>\n
Sharon has the ability to make anyone who comes through the Salvation Army church doors feel comfortable and loved. She’s doing her best to embrace Christmas the same way Doug did.<\/p><\/div>\n
As a woman of strong faith, the Salvation Army stands for everything Sharon believes in. Its motto ‘Giving hope today’ is one that Sharon knows is drilled into the hearts and souls of staff and volunteers. And at Christmastime, that motto especially rings true. She’s honoured to be working for such a valuable, worthwhile organization, which is fulfilling her on a soul level otherwise she wouldn’t be so happy to show up at work every day.<\/p>\n\n\t\t
![\"Doug](\"https:\/\/media-doppleronline-ca.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com\/2015\/12\/doug_dalrymple.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/media-doppleronline-ca.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com\/2018\/12\/sharon_dalrymple2.jpg\")