Sharon Sikes - Founder
Since 1977, Our Founder has had a passion to help people who were experiencing the pain and grief from the loss of a loved one. Sharon is a certified bereavement facilitator and volunteer chaplain. Her work supporting those experiencing grief has spanned more than thirty years.
In 2004, Sharon was introduced to a special need relating to families in grief—the need for burial layettes for families who experience perinatal loss. As she met with local nurses, she immediately saw how this type of grief ministry could help both a family who was experiencing deep loss, and the nursing staff, who were in need of a way to show love and compassion in the midst of that loss.
For Sharon, this was an opportunity to blend her passion to help those in grief with her love of sewing.
Immediately her life's focus shifted to meet this need. She began to purchase the supplies necessary to lovingly produce these special garments and keepsakes. She quickly recruited a volunteer, her husband Arnold, who served as chauffeur, assistant and chief supporter. Sharon and Arnold, along with other volunteers, soon were working to provide for the hospital's need.
Since that time, Angel Layettes has grown in size and is providing burial layettes and keepsake hearts to families at no charge, through hospitals across the United States.
Sharon met with the hospital staff to design a layette that would be suitable for the babies they would adorn. As each design was completed it was sent off to nurses who used them and provided feedback for improvement.
Word soon traveled around to other hospitals about Angel Layettes and they began to contact Sharon about supplying their needs as well. It became apparent very quickly that the need for these was great, and would require more than what she could produce at home.
To meet this need, Sharon officially incorporated Angel Layettes in 2007 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Since that time, Angel Layettes has grown in size and is providing burial layettes and keepsake hearts to families at no charge through hospitals throughout Texas, with others from around the country contacting her as word of Angel Layettes spreads.
