Ninety years ago our mother Sharon was born to Velma and Vernon Brotherson in Mount Pleasant Utah. She had an older sister Elaine (Williams) and a younger sister Mary Kay (Baldwin). She loved her parents and her sisters deeply. While in Mount Pleasant she enjoyed riding horses, feeding animals, raising a garden, and making and playing with lifelong friends. When she was 14 she moved to Salt Lake City, which would become her home. She graduated from South High School where she enjoyed playing on the basketball and tennis teams. After High School she attended LDS Business College and later Westminster College. She began working at Holy Cross Hospital. She later worked at Mountain Bell and continued with that company, and its surviving companies, for many years. While working she made more lifetime friends, and enjoyed the challenges and fulfillment that her work provided.
Her life changed forever when she married Gordon Ray Stauffer in May of 1957 in the Salt Lake Temple. Sixty One years later this union is still in force and produced 5 children, 15 grandchildren, and 3 great grandchildren. Sharon and Gordon bought a home in Millcreek, raised their children in that home, and lived there for 60 years. They were blessed with many dear friends and neighbors. There could not have been a better place to live, for many of these friends and neighbors were instrumental in raising their family.
Our mother never commanded an army, never wrote a book, never ran for public office, and never ran a company, yet everyone should have a mother like ours. We grew up knowing that our mother loved us because she proved it every minute of every day. She always had a smile on her face whenever she saw her children or grandchildren. Mom's life was one of endless sacrifices for her family. She would stop working for her family, go back to work for her family, spend all of her time helping or assisting her family, and spend all of her money on her family. We cannot remember Mom buying anything of value for herself until all of her kids were raised. She would call us out when we were wrong and stand fearlessly behind us when we were right.
Mother's faith was simple, and yet rock solid. The Savior was her friend, and she relied on him to assist her with the daily challenges of life, and in raising us. We never heard her question Heavenly Father or her faith regardless of the challenges that were placed in her path.
Love and lemon meringue pie, what a way to grow up! If we could do it all over again, we would always choose her.
Sharon is survived by her husband Gordon, her children Clint (Leslie), Kyle (JoAnn), Russ (Melody), Nora (Ward Wilson), and Kathy (Josh Tippetts), 15 grandchildren, and 3 great grandchildren.
Please join us at a viewing in her honor on Saturday June 23rd from 10:00 am to 11:45 am at the Millstream Ward (1100 East, 3400 South) in Salt Lake City. Funeral to follow at noon.
A special thanks to everyone who has been so kind to our mother the last few months, and over the years.
