Sharon Cinotto

Sharon Cinotto, 84, of Bettendorf, passed away peacefully, Monday, October 5, 2026 at The Fountains Senior Living.

Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, October 13, 2026 at Halligan-McCabe-DeVries Funeral Home. Visitation begins at 10:00 AM, with the service following at 12:00 PM. A private burial service will follow at Mt. Calvary Cemetery. Friends and family are invited to gather for a reception at The Fountains at 1:45 PM.

Sharon was born on May 24, 1942 in Oregon, Illinois, daughter of Gerald and Edna (Jones) Lamm. She spent her youth in Mt. Morris, Illinois, where she excelled as a student and began studying piano. She was a Girl Scout, a majorette, and held the record as fastest typist in her class.

She received a bachelor’s degree in education from Marycrest College. During her college years, she met David Edward Cinotto. They married on July 31, 1965, then settled in the Quad Cities, where they started a family. She was very gentle and nurturing, and more than anything, loved being a mom — not just to her own children, but to her dear pets, as well. She had a great capacity to love.

The majority of her days were spent living outside of Blue Grass, Iowa on a beautiful acreage, in a home built by her husband. The trees, flowers, and wildlife surrounding this property brought her a tremendous amount of joy. It was a special place loved by all generations of Cinottos.

Sharon was an exceptionally caring, creative and compassionate teacher. She taught many grades at many different schools, before landing at Buffalo Elementary School, where she taught 2nd grade until her retirement. She loved teaching science to young, curious minds. Every year she raised butterflies in her classroom, which were later released outside. This delighted her students and made for a memorable lesson.

She loved beautifully written and illustrated children’s book and amassed a wonderful collection to share with her students. Her warmth and kindness made her a favorite teacher to many. The school day never ended for Sharon when the bell rang - her dedication kept her working into the evening hours. While teaching full time, she completed her masters degree in education. Her dedication was acknowledged when she received the Golden Apple award, which was a highlight of her teaching career.

Music was a huge part of her life. She was very serious about her piano lessons as a young girl, and continued to play into her very late years. She gave piano lessons to the neighborhood kids. She played organ at St Andrew’s Catholic Church. She filled the Cinotto home with song. Music moved her deeply, and beautiful songs could always bring her to tears.

Sharon cherished her friendships, and she worked hard to maintain close connections with the dear people from all parts of her life; her college roommates, old neighborhood friends, the rugby wives, her bridge club, and the teaching friends.

She enjoyed traveling with her husband to visit their children in Texas and Washington State, and going on bigger adventures too, like Ireland, Egypt, Curaçao, and Belize.

She loved to laugh. Time spent with family — especially with her grandchildren — meant everything to her. She was sweet, kind, thoughtful, generous, and very good at making the people who surrounded her feel loved and supported. She will be missed deeply by so many.

Those left to honor her memory include her husband David Edward; children David Michael and (Brenda) Cinotto and Laurie (Craig Miller) Cinotto; grandchildren Daniel (Alexis) Cinotto and Haley Cinotto; and siblings Donald (Linda) Lamm and Susan (Michael) Klaas.

She was preceded in death by her parents and siblings Dennis Lamm and Geraldine LeVar.

Memorials may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association.