Stephanie Sharifi Khairabadi (Gilmore)

Stephanie Lynn Sharifi Khairabadi (Gilmore) passed away unexpectedly at home Saturday, September 3rd, 2022. Stephanie was born in Wichita, Kansas on October 11th, 1965, to parents Tom and Sharon Gilmore and was the apple of her father’s eye. Brother John would come along almost three years later, and Stephanie was the immediately the big sister, holding and giving her little brother bottles. The Gilmore family moved to Bloomington, Indiana when Stephanie was six. Stephanie attended Hunter Elementary School, Arlington Elementary School, Dyer Middle School, and would graduate from Bloomington High School North, where she excelled with straight A’s and honor roll awards. Stephanie loved her photojournalism classes and took beautiful black and white photos. Stephanie also took French, not knowing what a big part of her life France would become.

Growing up in Highland Village, Stephanie’s closest friend was Paula Stultz Dodds. The two were in band together at Dyer, color guard at North, got their first cars at about the same time, and loved going to concerts, including Van Halen, Styx, and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Stephanie always fondly reminisced about how she and Paula would go the Lake Monroe and float on their rafts near the Fairfax boat ramp. She was a great big sister, always letting her annoying little brother tag along, and was his protector from an early age.

Stephanie began working at Target in high school in order to save up for college. She inherited her father’s work ethic, and worked late hours after school, sometimes finishing her homework as the sun was coming up. She also helped her CPA father check returns during tax season. Tom found it very rewarding to have his daughter work alongside him.

The Gilmores were a very close family and enjoyed IU sports, trips to national parks, and their summer vacations. Favorite vacations included a trip to DC to see the McGoverns, Loud’s Island with Ginny and Bob Vocelli, Sanibel Island, the Rocky Mountains, and the family pilgrimages to Springfield, Missouri and Hayes, Kansas. They always packed into the family Oldsmobile Delta 88. It was on these trips that Stephanie and John would develop phobias of Red Roof Inns.

After graduation, Stephanie attended Indiana University Bloomington and lived in Briscoe Quad. There, Stephanie would meet many of her lifelong friends, including Sara, Maureen, Stacey, Tamara, Leslie, Lisa, and Jill. Stephanie absolutely loved her time living in Briscoe and attending classes at IU. Due to her intelligence and hard work, classes were easy for her. Her friends from college were kind enough to send several old photos from their college days, all of which show a smiling happy Stephanie.

Stephanie moved to Indianapolis with her first husband, where she finished her business degree at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. Stephanie went to work for Target as a manager and was promoted several times. She would later be recruited by Venture Stores. Stephanie’s son, Jeremy, was born on March 24th, 1989, and he was one of the greatest joys in her life. Stephanie dedicated her life to raising him and giving him everything she could.

In 1992, Stephanie met the love of her life, Michael Sharifi, from France. The two had a long-distance romance until they married, and Stephanie and Jeremy moved to Paris to begin their new life with Michael. Both Stephanie and Jeremy adapted to and enjoyed Paris, and Stephanie welcomed her family and friends to visit multiple times over the years, giving them an insider’s view of the city. She met her lifelong friend, Valérie Chevalier, who was working for Michael in his restaurant. Valérie took Stephanie under her wing and showed her how to be a true Parisian, including navigating the metro, making crepes, and embracing the French culture. Stephanie, Michael, and Jeremy enjoyed traveling to other European countries and making trips back to the states. Michael and Stephanie welcomed their first child, Jessica, on August 17th, 1995.

In September of 1996, Michael and Stephanie made the decision to move to the United States to get proper care and educational programs for their special needs daughter. They moved to Lenexa, Kansas, just outside of Kansas City, where Stephanie’s brother, John lived. Dominique Sharifi arrived on May 16th, 2000. Dominique is a talented performer and musician, and Stephanie loved attending and volunteering for her shows.

Michael’s work in the restaurant business took the family to Denver, Colorado, Phoenix, Arizona, and Houston, Texas. Jeremy later graduated from the University of Texas in Austin. Dominique graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, and is currently studying at the University of Texas in Austin. Stephanie always had a deep desire to become a teacher and had a true passion for helping children with disabilities due to her experience with her daughter, Jessica. She combined the two by earning her teaching certificate and teaching special education in Katy, Texas. She first started teaching inclusive preschool at Tiger Land Child Care Center, and later opened the life skills program at the new, Fred & Patti Shafer Elementary. She was beloved by her fellow educators and made a difference in the lives of hundreds of students.

Stephanie and her family moved back to her favorite place: Denver. She began working for Overland Trail Middle School as an intervention teacher, where she helped students with learning disabilities. She loved working with middle schoolers, and always talked about her love for the tight-knit work environment that her new school offered. Stephanie enrolled in classes at Colorado State University Pueblo and began working on her master’s degree in 2022.

Stephanie and Michael built their dream home from the ground up in Commerce City. She had always described Colorado as her happy place and she felt so lucky to have a home with a mountain view.  She was also happy to be near Jeremy and her grandson, Clark. Living in Denver also made it easier to see her brother, John and his family, especially her niece, Dahlia who absolutely adored Stephanie. Stephanie was so proud of the man that Jeremy has become, and proud of the young lady that Dominique has become, having recently graduated from FIT NYC and having just enrolled at UT Austin. Stephanie was unwavering in her quest to give her daughter, Jessica, the best possible care, and every day was dedicated to making her the best she could be.

Stephanie was preceded in death by her parents, Tom and Sharon Gilmore, Grandparents Pascal and Kay Gilmore, John and Elma Gioe, and her uncle Steve Gioe.

Surviving relatives include her husband, Michael Sharifi, her children Dominique Sharifi, Jessica Sharifi, Jeremy Lomax, and Juliette Sharifi; her brother and his family John Gilmore, Elizabeth (Mendez) and Dahlia Gilmore; her aunts and uncles, Robert and Ginny Vocelli, Dan and Carolyn McGovern; her cousins Katie (McGovern), Rich and Riley Pizzi, Denise (Elson) Chris and Kourtney Tucker; David and Maria Elson; Debbie Gioe, Gina (Gioe) Michael, Michael Jr., Anna, Sophie Esposito, and Mindy (Gioe); Joe, Gabe, and Christian Garcia; and numerous friends and coworkers.

A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, October 1st, at 3pm at Horan & McConaty, 9998 Grant St., Thornton, CO (303-280-4688). A reception will follow at 5pm at Texas de Brazil, 8390 Northfield Blvd., Suite 1800, Denver, CO (720-374-2100). You can watch the recorded service at any time by clicking here .