The remaining original Purdue Silver Twin, Sharon J. (Roeske) (Wendt) Wesch, Ph.D., died in February. She and her sister Karon made their debut as the Purdue Silver Twins in the fall of 1960. Karon died in 2003, at the age of 60.
The Silver Twins were created by the late Purdue Band Director Al G. Wright, “adding a precision twirling attraction” to the All American marching band. According to an April 1961 issue of the Purdue school newspaper, the twins, who hailed from Hebron, Indiana, were selected as the 1961 Tomato Queens by the Indiana Tomato Fieldmen’s Association. They both aspired to become math teachers. They are pictured below offering up a tomato juice toast following their coronation.
Official Obituary
Official Obituary Sharon J. (Roeske) (Wendt) Wesch, Ph.D., was born on August 18, 1942, in Valparaiso, Indiana. She passed on February 13, 2024, at home in Cornville, Arizona, surrounded by her husband and family.
Sharon was preceded in death by her twin sister Karon, her brother Gordon, and her parents.
She is survived by her husband, Jerry Wesch Ph.D.; her children, John Wendt and Renee Nerney; niece Lisa Gelon; and Jerry’s daughters, Jessica, Stephanie and Katherine; and 16 grandchildren.
She was an identical twin with sister Karon. They were academic stars and featured twirlers in high school and with the Purdue University Marching Band, fronting the Band as the original “Silver Twins.”
She entered Fielding University, earning a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. She opened a Holistic Clinic in Northern Indiana that grew to have a staff of 17. This led her to start her life’s work in what she called “Radiant Heart Healing.” Radiant Heart Healing developed into a national phenomenon. She has written four acclaimed books about her experiences and healing techniques. She was the subject of a documentary film titled “A Healer’s Life,” available on YouTube.
