Sharon Elizabeth Pacyna

Sharon Elizabeth Pacyna passed away April 17, 2026, at age 76 following a brief illness.  She was the only child of Florence and Ed Pacyna of New Britain, Connecticut.

Sharon attended Newton College of the Sacred Heart and proceeded to Cornell University/New York Hospital School of Nursing where she was a member of Sigma Theta Tau and graduated with a BSN in 1972. In 1973, she headed west and settled in Aspen, Colorado.  Sharon would spend her off hours on the slopes of Aspen honing her favorite sport.  She quickly became an advanced skier and continued to enjoy skiing for many years.  

In 1975, Sharon moved to San Diego and began working in the new, highly specialized Trauma Unit at UCSD Medical Center.  She loved the challenge of trauma nursing and quickly rose to become the Head Nurse of this novel unit.  She was extremely knowledgeable decisive and quick, yet remained empathetic, warm and supportive of patients and their overwhelmed families.  She was a mentor to all the nurses she trained and supervised.  Sharon left UCSD to manage production of instructional and interactive videodisc programs for medical and nursing education.  In 1988, she joined the County of San Diego Emergency Medical Services as a Quality Assurance Specialist and was program manager for the Crash Injury Research & Engineering Network (CIREN).  Sharon also was a coordinator for the Sexual Assault Team program and served on the Suicide Homicide Audit Committee.  In addition, she monitored Trauma Center compliance, assisted with site reviews and helped oversee Trauma Registry data collection.  During this time in her career, she went to graduate school and received her MPH from SDSU in 1997.  Sharon returned to UCSD Medical Center in 2007 to become the Trauma Coordinator.  She retired from this position in 2012.

In 2005, Sharon married Ed Skoldberg and remained happily married for 17 years, until his death in 2022.  During these years, she spent a great deal of time in Connecticut where she was the loving caretaker of both her parents until their deaths.  She and Ed loved spending time in Kona, Hawaii where Sharon became an avid snorkeler.  

Sharon possessed a zest for life that included a great sense of humor, a sharp wit with a quickness to laugh, all accompanied by a wonderful mischievous edge.  She was a steadfast and generous friend who was always there in good times and bad.  She touched many lives with her care and concern - whether you were a grocery clerk or a neighbor in distress - she was there for you.

She was predeceased by her parents Florence and Ed Pacyna, her husband Ed Skoldberg, mother-in-law Marilyn, and her beloved dogs Gracie and Lucy.  Survivors include sister-in-law Ann Collins and Husband Doug, brother-in-law Bob Skoldberg and wife Gloria, their children; Kristen Wilson, her husband Trace and their four boys, and Erik Skoldberg and his two boys.  In Connecticut, she leaves cousins Judy and Chet Clark and many more of her extended family. 

Sharon was a lover of dogs, so in lieu of flowers, please donate to your local animal shelter.

A Celebration of Life will be announced in the future.

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