School’s head of theater showed love for Annapolis
Sharie Valerio, 82, was theater director, educator at the Severn School
Sharie Valerio, a theater director who led the theater department at the Severn School, died of unknown causes Nov. 5. The longtime Annapolis resident was 82.
Born to Seldon Lacey, a banker, and Helen Lacey, a homemaker, Ms. Valerio grew up in Annapolis and graduated from Annapolis High School in 1959.
She attended the Maryland State Teachers College at Towson and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 1963. After college, she began teaching elementary school in Annapolis and performing at the Colonial Players community theater. There, she met Gerry Valerio, and the couple married in 1964. They settled in Epping Forest, Annapolis. Ms. Valerio lived in Epping Forest for more than 50 years.
They had three children before divorcing after 30 years of marriage. While separated, they remained close until Mr. Valerio’s death last year.
Kris Valerio Shock says her mother was an eccentric who embraced human connection. Growing up, she remembers her mother hosting dinner parties where the guests who had no acting experience would perform plays.
“She was just full of life and creativity,” Ms. Shock said. “Mom was just absolutely joyful. She was very theatrical, very joyful.”
Ms. Valerio received a master’s degree in fine arts from Catholic University in Washington, D.C., after joining the conservatory program in the early 1980s. She went on to teach and direct theater at The Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts in Annapolis for over 40 years.
Ms. Valerio had an interest in history, and in 1987, she founded Remember Inc., a nonprofit focused on preserving history through theater. With her nonprofit, she
created theatrical productions for several organizations, including the Charles Carroll House, The Annapolis Maritime Museum, and the Jewish Museum of Maryland.
In 1989, she partnered with Mame Warren, daughter of photographer Marion E. Warren, and created the theatrical production “The Annapolis I Remember” at St. John’s College. The collaboration between Ms. Valerio, her husband and Ms. Warren led to a book “Then, Again…Annapolis.”
“She was afraid that that whole generation of history of our community was going to pass away with that generation,” her daughter said.
Rick Wade, who met Ms.
Valerio through the theater scene, said her love for Annapolis was tangible in her work.
“Almost everything she did was concentrated on what was here,” Mr. Wade said. “She was born here and this community defined her life. I think she could have gone on and done things in theater regionally and who knows where if that had been what energized and satisfied her creativity.”
From 1998 to 2014, Ms. Valerio led the upper school theater department at the Severn School. There, she directed several productions including, “Les Miserables,” “The Secret Garden” and “Severn Remembered,” an original production capturing Severn School’s history.
Gregory Price, one of Ms. Valerio’s theater students at Severn, said the theater department soared under Ms. Valerio.
“I think she provided a safe space for students to explore and express themselves that wasn’t always there,” Mr. Price said.
Ms. Shock said her mother was a “collector of people.”
“Connecting people was really her passion,” Ms. Shock said. “Her hobbies were really still centered around caretaking of relationships and family members.”
A celebration of life will be held May 4 at Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts.
In addition to her daughter, Ms. Valerio is survived by her son, Tony Valerio; a grandson; and three stepgranddaughters. Ms. Valerio was preceded in death by her son Darin Lacey Valerio.