Sharon Kesliq Ryckman, a proud Siberian Yupik woman and longtime Alaskan, passed away in Homer, Alaska on December 7, 2024 at home with family at her bedside. Sharon Lynn Pungowiyi was born on January 9, 1944, on St. Lawrence Island, Sharon dedicated her life to preserving her cultural heritage.

In her early career with the Nome School District, Sharon translated Siberian Yupik stories, helping to preserve her ancestral language for future generations. A skilled subsistence provider in her younger years, she passed this traditional knowledge on to her children. During her years in Bethel, she was known for her artistic talents, particularly in needle work. Her life’s journey took her from St. Lawrence Island and Nome to Bethel, then to Wasilla, and finally to Homer, where she spent her later years fishing and collecting seashells and rocks along the coast. While in Homer she served on the board of the South Peninsula Haven House.

Sharon is survived by her husband of 41 years, Mike Ryckman, her children Darlene, Tara, Michael, Tasi, and Patrick, her grandchildren Panaay, Quya, Timothy, David, Megan, and Autumn, and her sisters Mary and Martha.