Sharon Willis Fijalka February 19, 1958 – February 26, 2026
To view a great picture collection of Sharon's life please click this link to go to the on-line obituary and scroll down to find this part of the page
Sharon (Marie) Willis FIJALKA, 68, of Alexandria VA passed peacefully at the Mount Vernon Sunrise Assisted Living Remembrance unit and crossed the bar on February 26th, 2026. Born February 19th, 1958 in Newburyport, MA, Sharon dedicated her life to Service in the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Department of Defense, and her Community as an Adult Scout Leader.
Sharon was born and raised in Newburyport Massachusetts, the birthplace of the U.S. Coast Guard. She graduated from Newburyport High School where she participated on the Girl’s Softball Team and the Drill Team, and a member of the National Honor Society.
Sharon served proudly in the United States Coast Guard for over 30 years from June 1976 to June 2007. She received an appointment to the United States Coast Guard Academy in 1976, entering the Academy as a member of the first class to graduate women from a United States Military Academy. While a cadet, Sharon joined the men’s bowling team and became the Eastern Regional women’s collegiate bowling champion in the spring of 1980. She was also a member of the inaugural women’s softball team and the Cadet Band Flag Corps performing at many football games and a special performance at the 1976 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Sharon sailed on the Coast Guard’s Tall Ship Barque Eagle every summer of her cadet career.
Sharon married her classmate, Michael Fijalka, three days after graduation and together they headed north for shipboard assignments in Massachusetts. Sharon was a deck watch officer in CGC Chase. She was a qualified law-enforcement boarding officer and conducted the first successful Haitian interdiction and repatriation of migrants to Port-au-Prince. Next, she was part of the commissioning crew and a plank owner for the new CGC Bear, first of the Coast Guard’s 270 foot Class Cutters
She was selected to attend law school at the Marshall-Wythe School of Law at the College of William and Mary from 1986-89. Upon graduation, she passed the bar and served in several staff attorney positions until 1991 when she returned to sea duty as the Operations Officer on CGC Gallatin earning herself a permanent Cutterman Pin.
Following tours in Coast Guard recruiting and as chief of legal policy and program development, Sharon was assigned as the Chief Trial Judge of the U.S. Coast Guard for Courts Martial. She was also a guest lecturer at the Army Judge Advocate Generals Training Center.
Sharon retired in 2007 as Commanding Officer of the Coast Guard Hearing Office in the rank of Captain. Her awards include Meritorious Service Medals, Commendation and Achievement medals, numerous unit Commendations and Service awards. In her second career, Sharon worked for the Department of Defense as a legal advisor to the Convening Authority for Military Commissions. She left a lasting impact on those she served and worked alongside.
Sharon was also an avid Scouter with the Boy Scouts of America serving as her son Michael’s den leader, then as a committee member for Troop 1509 (Alexandria, VA), a District Committee member for Colonial District in the NCAC, a member of The Order of the Arrow (Vigil Honor), and completed Wood Badge in 2001.
Most of all, Sharon enjoyed all things Disney with her family, including trips to Disney World, Disney cruises (32), and especially collecting Disney pins. Sharon was an accomplished needle-pointer, having created numerous products including counted cross stitch Coast Guard lighthouse ornaments, samplers, and pictures. Sharon also enjoyed folk music including the folk band Dramtreeo and all things Jimmy Buffet.
Sharon is survived by her beloved husband of 45 years, Michael Fijalka; her sisters Debra Willis and Linda Willis of Amesbury MA. She is predeceased by her son, Michael Meade Fijalka, who passed away at age 25 after nearly a lifetime battling many cancer diagnoses; her parents Richard Willis and Grace (Langdo) Willis; and her brother Roy Willis. Her legacy of service, love, and dedication will forever be cherished by her family and friends.
A funeral service to honor Sharon’s life and service will be held at 11:00 on Friday, March 27, 2026 at Demaine Funeral Home, 520 S. Washington Street, Alexandria VA. Military honors will be rendered at the graveside at Mount Comfort Cemetery at 1:00 pm.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to The Fifty Year’s of Women at USCGA Fund in Sharon’s memory, to support The Coast Guard Academy Alumni Association’s celebrations and efforts commemorating the 50th Anniversary of Women entering the Academy.
https://securelb.imodules.com/s/1043/giving/interior.aspx?sid=1043&gid=1&pgid=8375&dids=331
Here is the Eulogy delivered at the service:
Good morning and thank you all for being here. Mike - Thank you for allowing me to speak this morning about Sharon.
Sharon is a member of a VERY small sorority ~ the Coast Guard Academy Women of 1980. We were the first women to attend the United States Coast Guard Academy. There were 38 of us. With the loss of Sharon there are 35. Ten of us are here today. We’ve traveled from Alaska, Florida, New England, Kentucky, and points between to bid farewell to our funny, sarcastic, and determined classmate. I was fortunate to have help with today’s eulogy from many in our sorority and a common theme emerged. Sharon’s tenacity, grit, and determination set her apart!
Sharon was born and raised in Newburyport Massachusetts, the birthplace of the U.S. Coast Guard. At Newburyport High School, she was an honor student, marched on the drill team, and played varsity softball – as a pitcher! Sharon arrived at the Coast Guard Academy on June 28, 1976, with her softball mitt and a lot of Moxie.
Sharon’s Swab Summer platoon was X-Ray 3 and in that same platoon was a cute boy from Washington State. Like most college romances, their “meet cute” was at the campus coffee shop. No, it wasn’t! It was during push-ups while being screamed at by upper-class cadets. There was no coffee shop at the Coast Guard Academy in 1976.
On the 4th of July - our nation’s bicentennial – a miracle happened. The upper-class cadets briefly stopped screaming at us and we had some free time. Sharon and that cute boy from Washington State went exploring and found there existed, at the Coast Guard Academy, an air-conditioned Bowling Alley with a vending machine that dispensed cans of beer! Sharon and cute boy from Washington State became avid bowlers.
Now, as I said, Sharon had Moxey, grit, and determination and she needed it. The Coast Guard Academy is difficult. Every kid admitted is at the top of their high school class and has a resume like Sharon’s. Yet 50% of us end up being below average. And those of us in that lower half found out our shortcomings right away! Some of us needed remedial math. Others needed remedial swimming. Some, like Sharon, needed both. Right off the bat, she found herself in remedial swimming and math classes. If she was discouraged, she didn’t let it stop her from pushing through. She became a swimmer and polished her math skills.
As the summer drew to a close, Sharon sailed the tall ship Eagle for the first time. She would go on to sail Eagle every single summer of her four years. When we were finally allowed to leave the Academy for Labor Day Weekend, Sharon took pity on the cute boy from Washington State who had nowhere to go and invited him to Newburyport for the long weekend. She did the same for Columbus Day and after marching in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade. By then, they were a couple!
Remember how I said the Coast Guard Academy is difficult? Well, when our first academic year began, so did Physics 1, which, with several others in this room today, Sharon flunked. So, she took it again and passed. Physics 2 and Introduction to Engineering Design – same deal. Each time, Sharon dusted herself off, retook the course and passed. Others might have given up. Sharon did not. Sharon never gave up and once she cleared the science and math hurdles and moved into her major, history and government, she shined.
As I mentioned, Sharon was an accomplished softball pitcher and player. When there were too few women for a softball team, she took her talents to the intramural field and wowed the guys with her fast, accurate pitches. When we briefly had a women’s softball team, she was the star. I was in right field. She also joined the men’s bowling team and became the Eastern Regional women’s collegiate bowling champion!
Sharon and the boy from Washington State became inseparable. They coordinated their training and leave to be together and sailed Eagle in the Atlantic and the Pacific. After Sharon met his huge family on a trip to the Pacific NW, they decided that after graduation, they would get married.
Then, when we were seniors and graduation was in sight, another hurdle was thrown in front of Sharon. The women’s Physical Fitness Test and standards changed, and Sharon did not pass the new test. Despite working out daily in the months that followed, Sharon could not pass the test. As graduation neared, she was summoned before a board of senior Academy officials to plead her case. The officials decided to delay her graduation and commissioning. Sharon sat up straight and told them, “I’m not staying beyond graduation. I’ve earned my degree. If you don’t think I deserve to be a Coast Guard officer because of how many pullups I can do, that’s up to you. I’m graduating and three days later, I’m marrying Mike Fijalka.”
And she did just that! And she was commissioned! She went to the cutter Chase out of Boston while Mike went to the Vigilant out of New Bedford. On two different ships with two different schedules, Mike and Sharon spent just 100 days together during their first year of marriage. On one of those days they were apart, their two ships rendezvoused somewhere in the Caribbean and the Commanding Officer of Vigilant flew to Chase in the ship’s helicopter, briefly kidnapped Sharon and flew back to Vigilant where an unsuspecting Mike, the landing safety officer, directed the helicopter onto Vigilant’s flight deck and found himself looking at Sharon in the copilot seat. As the helo landed, Sharon was yanked from the helo during a crash drill. Classic newlywed Caribbean vacation.
After serving aboard Chase, Sharon was part of the crew commissioning the CGC Bear and then she applied to the Coast Guard to attend law school and they said YES! Sharon hoped to go to law school in the Pacific NW but the Coast Guard had other ideas. They wanted her to go to William & Mary - a prestigious law school which had not accepted her because of her Coast Guard Academy grade point average. Another hurdle! Another challenge. Sharon called the admissions office and explained that although hers was lower than the average entering law student’s GPA, averages are made up of high and low numbers and hers would be a low part of the average. A week later, she received her letter of acceptance. And again, she shined, graduated, passed the bar exam, and headed to Governor’s Island in New York City to be a Coast Guard lawyer…and complete her third afloat tour.
After serving in the Claims and Litligation Branch, Sharon was offered the opportunity to serve as Operations Officer aboard CGC Gallatin. Sharon would later say this was her favorite tour. When I served on Gallatin, my OPS Officer would often tell me he had the hardest job in the Coast Guard. At the time, I thought this was because he had to know all things having to do with navigation, radio communications, classified information, and the Combat Information Center. I now realize it may have been “the hardest job in the Coast Guard” because he had to supervise me, Tim Powers, and Ted Gandy but it may have also been that he was just grumpy. Sharon, on the other hand, ran a tight OPS department and thoroughly enjoyed her job – especially training Junior Officers. Her deployment to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic was a once in a lifetime opportunity to represent the United States in Ireland, England, Denmark, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Russia. It was aboard Gallatin that Sharon became a permanent cutterman.
During their time living on Governors Island, Mike and Sharon’s Christmas Parties were legendary! They loved Christmas! Their apartment was decorated to the hilt with 40 trees and at least that many nutcrackers. Sharon cross stitched hundreds of lighthouse ornaments that she gave away as party favors and guests were encouraged to roam their home to find all the fully decorated Christmas trees.
And when she wasn’t at sea, lawyering, cross stitching, or decorating Christmas trees, Sharon did something else extraordinary. On April 12, 1990, she had a baby boy. He was named Michael and he was a joy. But while still a baby, Michael got sick. He had cancer. This would be the greatest challenge of Sharon and Mike’s life. Their sweet funny smart boy battled cancer on and off for all of his nearly 26 years. His parents battled alongside him and worked tirelessly to ensure he had a great life. And he did! He advanced through the Boy Scouts to become an Eagle Scout. He graduated from George Mason, and he took more Disney Cruises and vacations than any kid, ever! He was loved fiercely.
It bears mentioning that as Michael advanced through the ranks of the Boy Scouts of America – so did Sharon! She began as Michael’s Cub Scout Den Leader working hands-on with the little guys, then moved up to administration of Troop 1509 of Alexandria, VA handling all manner of finance and logistics, and finally served with the Colonial District helping many National Capital Area Council packs and troops—organizing events, supporting leaders, and training volunteers For her devotion, she was made a member of The Order of the Arrow – the Boy Scout’s Honor Society and awarded the Wood Badge for completion of their premier adult leadership training program.
In her other full-time job as a Coast Guard attorney, Sharon served in the Coast Guard’s Office of Legal Program and Policy Development. There she played a central role in shaping the service’s legal community. She cared deeply about the development of young lawyers and worked to ensure they understood the operational Coast Guard they served. She pioneered expanded military training for new Direct Commission Lawyers and, as a cutterman with three sea tours, she created a shipboard orientation program where new attorneys could see firsthand the missions and people behind the cases they would handle. The programs Sharon pioneered continue to guide the development of Coast Guard lawyers today.
Later, as the Coast Guard’s Chief Military Judge, Sharon oversaw the service’s military judiciary and presided over its most serious criminal trials. In that role, she brought the same qualities that defined her career—fairness, wisdom, and a commitment to justice. The girl from Newburyport who almost didn’t get a commission ended up retiring as a Captain and Commanding Officer of the Coast Guard Hearing Office.
In retirement, Sharon continued to accrue sea time on board Disney cruises with her beloved son, Michael, until he died just shy of his 26th birthday. By then, Sharon had already received the cruelest of diagnoses – Alzheimer’s. For thirteen years, Mike, the cute boy from Washington State, provided a master class in compassionate care. He made sure everyone got to see and spend time with Sharon - the girl with Moxie from Newburyport. We cannot thank him enough.
It has been a long goodbye and the grace and love exhibited by Mike these last thirteen years has been extraordinary. Mike – Thank you for showing everyone what true love, devotion, and bravery looks like in a nearly 50-year love story.