SHARON KHA

2/24/44 - 6/15/24

Co-Founder & Board Member

​

Sharon Lorna Kha (Heinrichs), 80, of Vancouver, BC, Canada, passed away on June 15, 2024, in Tucson, Arizona. Sharon was a writer, community advocate, former southern Arizona journalist, and a long-time spokeswoman for the University of Arizona.

She was married in 1967 to Hanoi-born Kha Dang. Their son David was born in 1971.

Sharon Kha began an unpaid internship at KTKT radio in the early 1970s, but was soon on salary and producing a hour-long weekly documentary called "KTKT Communicates."

In 1974, she moved to television news reporting at KGUN-TV, where she did special projects. Her documentary report, "Joe Bonanno's Notes," covered an FBI investigation into suspected organized crime activities. The story was pieced together by retrieving notes that Bonanno wrote to himself, then threw away, never suspecting that FBI agents dressed as garbage collectors were picking up his trash moments before the real city sanitation workers arrived.

Kha also chronicled her 1980 flight on a semi-restored World-War II B-29 from Tucson to London, when the legendary aircraft was delivered to England's Imperial War Museum. The journey was complicated by hanging landing gear and a persistent oil leak in engine three. Weather forced the pilot to take the plane high enough on the Atlantic crossing so ice would not form on the wings. This left Kha and the few other passengers on this historic journey sharing oxygen canisters.

In the early 1980s, Kha became spokeswoman for the University of Arizona, where she worked with three university presidents, Henry Koffler, Manuel Pacheco, and Peter Likens. She was Associate Vice President for Institutional Advancement at UA in 2005, when she retired due to Parkinson's disease.

Kha then became an advocate for Parkinson's patients, raising awareness by writing and rapping about the disease. She rapped at national and international conferences, support groups, and community organizations, as well as appearing regularly before UA medical students as El Dopa Diva. Her raps were educational and entertaining, often beginning with the lines: "Parkinson's disease is really whack; but you be illin' if you don't fight back."

In 2018, Kha began sharing her home with Deb Knox. They became close friends, as well launching the non-profit Tucson Home Sharing to advocate for this housing option. In 2022, Kha published "Sharon Kha's Grit and Wisdom," a book of her insightful and often amusing essays and raps.

She is survived by Wesley Heinrichs, David Kha, and Kha Manh Dang. Sharon's life will be celebrated in the fall, with details to be announced at a later date. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to PWR GYM at 4343 N. Oracle Rd. #173 Tucson, AZ 85705, or online at pwr4life.org. Additionally, checks for St. Mark's Presbyterian Church can be sent to 3809 E Third St. Tucson, AZ, 85712, and checks for Tucson Home Sharing can be made out and mailed to 2332 E Seneca St. Tucson AZ 85719.