Posted: Aug 25, 2012 6:45 PM by Hope Hanselman, KSBY News
Updated: Aug 27, 2012 6:52 AM
Sharla Cohen Prior took on the world without fear, diving head-first into the water, the dirt, the war and the kids.
Sharla served six years in the military and was deployed in Iraq. Since returning to the Central Coast where she was raised, she married Michael Prior and had five children, which is where she lived without fear of love.
"She loved every single person she met," Michael said. "It was so hard for me to understand that for so long how she could love someone for the first time she ever met them."
For weeks after Sharla's death, family members received hundreds of stories of her kindness.
Michael says her loving spirit was a foundation for her family.
"We live to make sure that our house is so sweet that the world tastes bitter," he said.
He will carry on her legacy for their three girls (the oldest is only five years old) and twin boys.
But fearless is not easy when love is lost. So the family learns from her teachings.
Sharla understood white is just a blank slate. From the white of her "trashed" wedding dress to the white of her signed casket. For Sharla, they're just the first page of the next chapter, wide open for her to leave her mark.
Signing the casket in handprints and markers was Michael's idea. He says the Los Osos Valley Memorial Cemetary loved it and will offer it as an option for others laying loved ones to rest.
On Monday, September 3, there will be a silent auction and concert to benefit the Prior family. It will be held at River Oaks Hot Springs in Paso Robles at 4:00 pm. To donate or volunteer, click here.
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