In Memoriam: Stephen Sharlow

It is with a heavy heart that we share the news of the passing of Stephen Sharlow, a respected alumnus who along with his wife the Honourable Karen Sharlow, was a generous supporter of Simon Fraser University’s School of Criminology. Stephen passed in December of 2022.

Sharlow was a true gentleman, an outstanding professional whose deep sense of justice led him to build a notable career driven by a passion for serving others. He leaves behind an impressive legacy, including a bequeathed gift to establish the Stephen and Karen Sharlow Criminology Co-op Award, which will go toward helping students pursuing studies in criminology.

His career in the criminal field started in the Northwest Territories, where he worked as a correctional officer. After a few years, he and his wife decided to return to BC, where he worked as a drug and alcohol counsellor for the British Columbia Association of Non-Status Indians serving the Indigenous peoples of the Nicola Valley.

Sharlow applied to SFU aiming for a degree in anthropology, but after looking at the courses and the cooperative program offered at the School of Criminology, he made the move and earned his criminology degree in the late ‘70s. After that, he served as a probation officer, and as a family court counsellor, and he specialized in tackling issues related to sexual abuse.

In the early ‘90s, he started his own company focused on risk management in the area of sexual abuse, where he worked with numerous organizations with potential victims, including faith-based groups and social service groups.

With his great generosity and mission of service, Stephen Sharlow has made his mark in the world and in the lives of all the people he served throughout his prolific career. We extend our deepest condolences to the Sharlow family.