Sharon Marie Mansur, co-founder of Jon’s Fish Market in Dana Point Harbor and past president of Dana Wharf Lady Anglers, died on April 8 at the age of 77 after a long battle with cancer, the family announced last week.
Sharon was born on February 6, 1947, at Park View Hospital in Los Angeles as the middle child of three siblings. Growing up in Los Angeles County, she graduated from San Gabriel Mission High School and earned an Arts degree from Cal State Los Angeles, where she pledged to join the Theta Gamma Chi sorority.
Sharon graduated from Cal State Los Angeles and went to work for the University of California, Irvine as a bookkeeper. She soon met her eventual husband, the late Jon Mansur, and moved to Dana Point to start a business using their skills. (Jon died in 2022 at age 77.)
In 1980, Sharon and Jon founded Jon’s Fish Market, which offered the Dana Point community fresh seafood from “boat to table.” As the proprietor of Jon’s Fish Market for over 40 years, Sharon was well-known in the community for her hard work and kind heart.
Sharon Mansur in her garden. Photo: Courtesy of Shala Mansur O’Keefe
“She really was the mastermind behind Jon’s Fish Market,” said Sharon’s stepdaughter, Shala Mansur O’Keefe. “She built and constructed the essence of the Market while my dad fished and handled most of the cooking. She ran the front end and the back end of the Market every day for as long as she was there.”
Shala began to slowly take over the day-to-day operations of Jon’s Fish Market in 2018 with the guidance of Sharon and Jon at the time. She and her brother, Todd, who are both licensed boat captains, will now be caring for the family business.
“Jon's Fish Market stands as a testament to Sharon's exceptional leadership alongside Jon's vision. While Jon's name adorned the business, Sharon's dedication and resilience played a pivotal role in its endurance for nearly 44 years,” said Vickie McMurchie, President of the Dana Point Chamber of Commerce. “The Chamber offers heartfelt condolences to Shala, Todd, and the entire Jon’s Fish Market family. Despite facing significant challenges and losses in recent years, the Jon's Fish Market team and family has emerged stronger, a testament to their enduring spirit and commitment to their community.”
Outside of dedicating her life to her business, Sharon filled her leisure time with the enjoyment of the arts, delights of world travel, and camaraderie found with her poker, bunco, and pinochle groups. She was also a talented and accomplished angler, notably serving as the Dana Wharf Lady Anglers president in 1995. She was also a notable long-standing member of the Dana Point Chamber of Commerce, where she helped start the Harbor Association Board and later served on its board.
Sharon was a faithful member of St. Edward the Confessor Catholic Church. The Mass of Christian Burial will be offered in Sharon’s honor at the church in Dana Point on Wednesday, June 12, 2024, at 11 a.m. A gathering to celebrate Sharon’s life will be held at Jon’s Fish Market in Dana Point Harbor, followed by a sunset ash burial at sea.
She is survived by her brother, Dennis Teschler, and his wife, Jeanne, stepson Todd Mansur, stepdaughter Shala Mansur O’Keefe, and four nieces and nephews.
Any donations of memorial gifts, at the family's request, may be made in Sharon’s name to any charity of choice.