Sharon Lang Beedle, long-time resident of Fullerton, died at her home in Sunnycrest Senior Living, Fullerton, on December 24, 2023, after a short illness. She was 92 years old. Her husband of more than 50 years, Walter Beedle, died in February 2015. They had no children.

Sharon’s only sibling, James Hugh Lang, lived down the hall from her at Sunnycrest Senior Living until his passing in May 2021. She is survived by her nieces, her nephews, and her cat Katie (now comfortably adopted into another loving home).

Sharon was born in Harbor City on May 11, 1931, to James Thompson Lang (1908-1990) and Hazel Warner Lang (1910-1973). She was the first child born to her parents. Her brother, James, was born in 1935. Sharon was the first girl born into the family in two generations. She was doted upon by her grandparents, Hugh Ritchie Lang (1879-1943) and Isabella Lang (1879-1955), formerly of Paisley, Scotland, formerly of Weymouth, Massachusetts, and then of Harbor City. All four of her uncles were similarly infatuated.

In 1934, the grandparents, together with a longstanding family friend from Scotland (Agnes McDonald), took Sharon by car from Harbor City to Rhode Island to introduce her to the large group of Langs who settled there after the entirety of the Lang family had immigrated from Scotland, in phases, between 1870 and 1910. Sharon’s family relocated from Harbor City in 1937 so they could move into a larger, more comfortable home at 26223 Regent Street in Lomita, a home that was built by her grandfather, Hugh Ritchie Lang, owner and operator of Lang’s Service Station in Harbor City, and by her uncle, Peter Lang (1905-1994), a carpenter who built movie sets in Hollywood.

While living in Lomita, Sharon attended and graduated from Orange Street Elementary School. She was the Vice President of her 9th-grade class at Narbonne Junior High School. She graduated from Narbonne High School in 1949. That same year, Sharon was elected the Honored Queen of Lomita Bethel No. 137, International Order of Job’s Daughters, having been sponsored into that organization by her father, a 32nd Degree Scottish Rite Freemason. As Honored Queen, Sharon presided over a court consisting of 35 peers.

On finishing high school in 1950, Sharon graduated from Reno’s University of Beauty in Long Beach and then passed the examination to earn her state license as a hairdresser and cosmetician. She moved to Fullerton at some point in the early 1950s and lived in that city for the rest of her life. She worked as a hairdresser for 35 years, leaving the industry in 1985 after exposure to hairdressing chemicals damaged her hands.

Along the way, Sharon owned and operated Sharon’s Beauty Salon at 219A North Richman Avenue and later at 201 North Euclid before closing the business and finishing her hairdressing career at Maria Callas Coiffures on 801 South Euclid. Sharon then worked for several years in a machine shop that manufactured structural components for military and civilian aircraft, owned and operated by her husband, known as Aerospace Engineering Company, at 727 S. State College in Fullerton.

Sharon was a second-generation American. Her father, James Thompson Lang, was born in Paisley, Scotland. He immigrated to the United States in 1910 and became a citizen in 1941. Sharon, like all of her family before her, was a Presbyterian. She was a long-time, beloved member of Morningside Presbyterian Church in Fullerton.

When Sharon was born in 1931, Alaska and Hawaii were not states. Herbert Hoover was President. The Ford Model A Roadster was the best-selling car. The average cost of a loaf of bread was 8 cents. Having grown up during the Great Depression and World War II, Sharon, like her brother, James, learned to take hardship in stride. They were always cheerful. They NEVER complained. The world changed greatly during Sharon’s 92 years.

Radio was king when she was born. Amos ‘n’ Andy became the most popular radio show of all time. Television had not been invented. Another way to think about how much the world changed during Sharon’s lifetime is to consider that $8,173.43 was the “all-in” cost to purchase the lot and construct her family’s middle-class home on Regent Street in Lomita in 1937 (Sharon’s father kept meticulous records). A person would need $1,100,000 to purchase that home today.

Sharon was an exceedingly lovely person. Sentimental. Thoughtful. Trusting (and trustworthy). Earnest. Kind. Fun. Agreeable. She made friends easily. She lavished affection on her cats. She was the “Cool Aunt” to her brother’s children, Jim Lang (Chesapeake, Virginia), Chris Anderson (Yorba Linda, California), Carrie Cannon (Austin, Texas), and Scott Lang (Bellflower, California). She is deeply missed by all who knew her.

A celebration of Sharon’s life will be held at Morningside Presbyterian Church at 1 pm on Saturday, February 24, 2024. The address is 1201 Dorothy Lane, Fullerton. All are welcome. If you feel so moved, the family encourages donations in Sharon’s name to Morningside Presbyterian Church, the nearest animal shelter, or the charity of your choice.

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