Longtime Malibu resident Sharon Adamson Gee passed away Friday, Sept. 28, at the age of 85, surrounded by loving family members at Saint John’s Hospital in Santa Monica. Over the course of her life, Sharon was a U.S. Olympic athlete, adventurer, world traveler and businesswomen.
Sharon grew up in Long Beach, where she forged an exceptional swimming career from an early age. She attended Stanford University before they had a swim team for women. Classmates remember her rushing to the pool in the early morning to practice by herself before the men’s swim team practice. After becoming a member of the Stanford Athletic Hall of Fame, she went to Buenos Aires for the 1951 Pan American Games, where she won three gold medals and met Evita Perón. Sharon was recognized as the fastest female swimmer in the Western Hemisphere and proceeded to the Olympics in Helsinki in 1952.
Sharon was known for her adventurous nature and excelling at anything she tried. The daughter of acclaimed naval architect Leslie “Ted” Geary, she followed in her father’s footsteps and became an avid sailor. She competed in the Transpac Race from San Pedro to Honolulu, placing second in her class. Wanting to share her passion for boating with others, she started the youth sailing program at California Yacht Club. Sharon was ahead of her time and also became one of the first female glider pilots in the United States.
Sharon met Merritt Adamson Jr. through the boating community when her father custom built a yacht named “Malibu” for Merritt’s family. The couple married in 1954 and had four children, Rindge, Grant, Leslie and Sam. The couple had a long, happy and adventurous marriage until Merritt’s death in 1986.
After Merritt’s passing, Sharon became president of Mariposa Land Company, a land holdings business, and ran it with two of her children, Grant Adamson and Leslie London.
In 1991, Sharon married Geoffrey Gee, whom she also met through boating. The two were passionate about many of the same activities—sailing, scuba diving, golfing, traveling and horseback riding—and were happily married for 27 years.
Malibuites enjoyed watching Sharon drive her miniature horses through Malibu Country Mart and Legacy Park (which her family jokingly nicknamed “Sharon’s Park”).
Sharon is remembered by her family as being strong, funny, competitive, intelligent and fearless. She is survived by her loving husband, Geoffrey; two of her children, Leslie London and Rindge Adamson; her grandchildren; and friends.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in Sharon’s name be made to The Saint John’s Health Center Foundation, 2121 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90403, attn., Irene Bristol.
