Elaine McHugh Sharer, a devoted mother and grandmother, cherished friend, and accomplished educator, passed away peacefully on September 8, 2026 at the age of 95.

Elaine’s lifelong curiosity and love of learning took her far beyond the classroom. A graduate of the Academy of the Sacred Heart in Overbrook, she went on to attend Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart in New York City, where she majored in French. She later spent a year studying at the University of Lyon in France after receiving a prestigious Fulbright Scholarship. Elaine would eventually return to Sacred Heart, where she taught French and served as head of the Foreign Language Department.

France remained an important part of Elaine’s life long after her teaching years. After Sacred Heart moved to Bryn Mawr, she left the teaching profession and entered the business world, but her curiosity about the world only continued to grow. She traveled extensively, returning often to France.

Elaine was a proud patron of the arts and dabbled in decoupage and decorative painting. Her passion for the arts later led her to become a docent at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Her years as a French teacher and her travels in France eventually allowed her to do something particularly special: give tours of the Philadelphia Museum of Art in French, bringing together two of the passions that had shaped her life.

Elaine will be remembered for her quick wit, fierce independence, knack for storytelling, love of learning and travel, and the enthusiasm with which she shared her interests with family, friends, students, and all.

She is survived by her son, Dan Sharer, and grandchildren Lizanne Logue, Sallie Quinn, and James Sharer.

Relatives and friends are invited on Tuesday October 27, 2026 - Visitation from 10 to 11 AM with Funeral Service to start at 11:00 AM at McConaghy Funeral Home, 328 W. Lancaster Ave., Ardmore PA 19003.  Interment will be private.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Pennsylvania Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PSPCA).