The Boyhood Home of President Woodrow Wilson in Augusta has a look of authenticity mainly because of the talents of Shara Baker Overstreet, Historic Augusta Inc. Director Erick Montgomery said Thursday.

"She had incredible taste and good judgment," said Mr. Montgomery of his friend of 18 years. "She was also generous with her talents and her resources."

Mrs. Overstreet, the wife of Superior Court Judge J. Carlisle Overstreet, died Thursday at 59 after a bout with cancer. Friends remembered her for her many community involvements, including heading the furnishings committee for the Wilson home's restoration project at Seventh and Telfair streets.

Mr. Montgomery said Historic Augusta won several awards as a result of Mrs. Overstreet's ability to re-create an interior look close to an 1860s design. As the owner of Shara Overstreet Interiors, an interior design business on Walton Way, Mrs. Overstreet also was one of Augusta's most requested home decorators, Mr. Montgomery said.

Some of her friends recalled how she had a passion for art, serving on boards at the Morris Museum of Art and the Georgia Museum of Art. She also was a member of the Junior League and the Augusta Heritage Club.

Madeline Bowen, the wife of U.S. District Court Judge Dudley Bowen and a friend of Mrs. Overstreet's for 30 years, said the two were like sisters.

Judge Bowen said Mrs. Overstreet was a "wonderfully talented artist and creator with extraordinary talents. She had many friends. She was a delightful wife, mother, grandmother and she'll be missed."

Mrs. Overstreet is survived by her husband, two sons, Baker Overstreet and James C. Overstreet Jr., and a granddaughter. Memorial services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at The Church of the Good Shepherd.