Sharon Jo Tobin Anderson

Sharon Jo Tobin Anderson died on July 18, 2022 from a sudden illness in her home surrounded by her family. Sharon was born October 22, 1957 in Salt Lake City, Utah to Samuel Joseph Tobin, Jr. and Grace Marie Tobin (née Smith).

Sharon grew up at the mouth of the Big Cottonwood Canyon with her four siblings raising animals, riding horses, and enjoying the outdoors. After finishing high school, Sharon spent several months backpacking across Europe with friends and then an adventurous year living in New York City before returning to Utah for college. Her two children, Audrey and Ian, were her greatest joy and source of pride. Throughout her life she welcomed orphaned pets of all kinds into her home and she couldn’t turn down her children who fell in love with a creature at a pet store. She adored her pugs and a pot belly pig who were her silly and loving companions. Sharon was also an avid gardener who loved learning about plants and as much as she enjoyed “digging in the dirt,” and passed this love down to children. Always well-informed, Sharon read local and national news everyday and her children regularly enjoyed discussing politics and current events with her. She believed in civic participation and often said “if you don’t vote, you can’t complain.”

Sharon graduated from the University of Utah with a bachelors in speech pathology and had careers in both healthcare and banking & finance. Sharon had the biggest heart for children and people with disabilities—her most valued career roles included fitting children with mobility equipment and helping veterans and people experiencing homelessness access benefits for medical care. She forged many good friendships with her coworkers over the years.

Sharon will be missed dearly and is survived by her daughter and son, Audrey Anderson (Jeffrey Davis) and Ian Anderson, and grandchild Raymond Davis; her siblings Gary Tobin (Andrea Tobin), Patrick Tobin, Kelli Tobin Reeves, and Tom Tobin; and niece and nephew, Holly Tobin Edwards and Christopher Reeves. She was preceded in death by her parents.

Family and friends are invited to attend a memorial service at 11am on Saturday, October 1, 2022 at Le Jardin at Larkin Sunset Gardens (1910 East Dimple Dell Road, Sandy, Utah 84092). In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in her memory be made to the Utah Road Home, KUED/KUER, or the Humane Society of Utah.