“I can do all things through Christ, which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13) was Mom’s favorite and sustaining scripture and oh, how she did things - drawing upon Him throughout her life. Mom’s life was filled with testimony, service, love of God and family, brimming with myriads of experiences (painful and joyous). She used her many talents to create, lift others, inspire, and foster adventure for friends and family alike.
All those who knew her felt the warmth of her radiant smile and grace, and were touched by her helping hands and generous heart.
I’m delighted to share more than you many know about this truly amazing woman’s life. Much of what I’ll relate comes in her own words from chats we enjoyed a few years ago. Mom talked and I typed.
Windows . . . Mom always loved windows. She serenely gazed out of our home’s picture window in early-morning Utah hours at her favorite mountain, the majestic Mt. Olympus. And she thrilled at the view from their window wall as it looked out over the beautiful woods in her beloved Tennessee. But she didn’t just gaze out of windows, she opened windows for others, she let the Lord’s light shine through the windows of her life and bless others.
Let’s look through some of the windows of her life to learn more . . .
The Window of Her Childhood:
Born December 27, 1937 in Provo, Utah – almost in a snowbank as her mom and dad liked to recount, Sherron Ann Watson grew up in Provo and later Salt Lake City, Utah with her parents and dear sister, Barbara. They were very close-knit family and shared a happy life.
Her childhood was full of enjoyment of school, and church primary, cousin capers, playing baseball with the boys, picnics, parades, chores, camping and travelling by train. She liked playing jacks and dolls, jumping rope, doing hopscotch, croquet and playing board games at home and at school she favored physics, children’s literature, community problems, music, typing and gym (because she was athletic). She enjoyed riding horses, too!
From childhood, neighborhood, as well as cousin & aunt and uncle water fights, baseball games, practical jokes throughout her life to creating adventures for her grandchildren, Mom was always full of fun with a merry laugh and often a hint of mischief.
She always had lots of friends all through her life, starting early and then from Emerson Elementary, Roosevelt Junior High, East High School and the University of Utah and to Crossville, Tennessee, St. Croix, Virgin Islands and Marietta, Georgia.
Mom’s Activity Window:
Favorite scripture heroes included the Savior, and in the Book of Mormon: Nephi, Aaron, Helaman, Abinadi, King Benjamin and Enos. Piano and xylophone were her chosen instruments, and she loved all kinds of music. Show tunes became a special favorite, along with hymns. Mom was an ROTC drill team member. She especially liked roses, Spring and Summer, her beautiful wooded, Tennessee view, and the colors green, purple and peach.
As an adult, softball, snow skiing, tennis, bowling and hiking caught her interest. Mom loved to craft and to dance with my Dad! She so enjoyed her time in the mountains and serene Utah deserts. She liked reading, cooking and baking – many of our very favorite family recipes come from her. Dinner for years was an event, as she delighted in creating themed meals and beautiful (as well as delicious) presentations. She elevated the every day! I baked right alongside her from a young age as we adventurously tackled everything from basics to home made bagels and Oreos to hand dipped fondants and chocolate.
Her Professional Window:
Through her life, her jobs and professions included: as a kid: babysitting, housecleaning, as a young woman: modeling (runway and TV), waitress, clerk, secretary, as an adult: educator, substitute teacher, sales person for a dress shop, personnel director for the Foreign Study League where her job was to hire between 1,200-1,500 principals, assistant principals, teachers and nurses for their overseas campuses throughout Europe and then travel to each campus during the summer to ensure quality work. She said she also worked closely with the Ministers of Education for each of these countries and because she was a woman, she was really treated like royalty. Some of the highlights she recalled were having an audience with the Pope, meeting with President Charles de Gaulle and his cabinet, and being given the key to the city in Itter, Austria). One summer when I was 10 years old, I was able to travel with her; it was magical!
Years later she was coordinator for U.S., 6-week, home-stay student programs for Spanish and Japanese student groups, Pampered Chef consultant, and Encore Event company owner (where she catered and hosted weddings, receptions, teas, college luncheons and professional events). When we lived in California for a short time when I was little, she also worked at the Rand Corporation. They were a company that worked on top secret things, including putting men in space and on military ops. She had to have government clearance for that!
Mom weathered and grew through many trials in her life, but she came through them stronger and more tender, with faith in God deepened and with an eye to assist others through their struggles. Through her window of sorrow into strength, she reached out to help others through their trials.
When I hear the quotes:
“And she will rise. And she will grow. And she will bloom, because her roots are deep in God’s love” (Lauren Fortenberry) and “Choose joy where you can” and “Because I Have Been Given Much,” I see my Mom.
A beloved educator, Mom’s imaginative and inventive classroom bubbled with excitement from students anxious to be in her class – she had a reputation as THE best teacher. From her childhood, she’d wanted to be an educator. She said some of her favorite teaching memories through the years where when she taught the kids about pioneers and they made bread together, or they’d stop what they were doing to write poems and stories about a mouse they saw scurrying in their classroom. “I liked inviting special guests to come tell their stories and cultures. Then I’d prepare food typical of that place for the kids to try and make crafts from that area, like tapa cloth. I also took classes on field trips to the desert to see when Johnson’s Army was pushed. Then we’d visit one of the small log homes of a man who was a witness to what happened, and he’d share his story. Sometimes we’d visit with an old Ute Native American and he’d recount tales of his life on the plains. Other times we’d go see the hawk’s nests in the desert and we’d observe the baby hawks in their home. We planted a garden on Arbor day and kept it. I’d catch animals like lizards and a tarantula for my classroom. We created planets with paper mache and paint. I read to them always. We had a marvelous time learning everything we could!”
Mom’s Marriage Window:
As for my parents, they always said they met and got starry-eyed for each other over ham loaf at a dinner with common friends when they worked at the Foreign Study League. Theirs evolved into an enviable love story with lots of unity, teasing, teamwork, highs and lows, overcoming, giving and a devotion to one another and the Lord. She was definitely the love of his life, and he was hers! There was lots of singing and laughter in our home. They held hands everywhere they went and, as my Mom began needing extra TLC in the beginnings of her illness, my Dad was ever more attentive. When he passed away, the hole in our hearts was searing. I count it a blessing that in that stage of her Alzheimer’s, she was somewhat foggy on her circumstances, because, even with her tremendous faith, I know her heart would have been completely broken to have him gone otherwise. She always talked of him to so many, glowing things she did recall, and how she missed him. Their home’s motto was “Love Lives Here!” She said that often.
After Dad’s passing, she joined Mike and I for marvelous times in London for a few months and then we moved back home to Georgia where she stayed with us for two years until her decline and safety required an entire team of helpers. We still shared daily constant time and outings together until her Alzheimer’s disease progressed to the point she had to remain in residence. Then we went there. COVID meant total lock down, but I was able to visit by Face Time each week when the Hospice nurse cared for her. A struggle in every way to be sure. She fought valiantly. She passed peacefully. We are grateful!
Her Mom Window:
And as for she and I, as her daughter . . . How do you separate a golden thread woven through the very fabric of your every days, your total life, in fact, to describe it? Such a thread adds to the color, pattern, design and strength of the life tapestry. She was a golden thread throughout my life. She will continue to be as her legacy lives on through all she did and was and is – all that stays with me because we are part of each other.
To me, she was the best of Moms – and my treasured friend. She gave me the gift of life and then a valiant example to follow. Opening innumerable windows on my world, she taught me of life, living, giving, of Christ and how to follow Him. How to do my best, to devote myself to family and service. How and where to seek and find happiness and millions of other big and little things. Her sacrifices, guidance, example, humor, love, teachings and support throughout my entire life have been unfailing. I am so humbly blessed to be her daughter, to have learned at her knee and then by her side. I’ve been encouraged, mentored, corrected, guided and cheered on through all my life by her.
Mom’s tender heart, our grand adventures, our quiet times, our differences and our similarities, as well as our heartaches and common joys, gave us an unbreakable, unshakeable bond. We shared it all. She was one of the greatest imaginable blessings in my world – every day. I am honored, and ever grateful to be her daughter.
She was also mom to three foster daughters over the years and opened many windows on the world to them with a heart full of love, guidance and giving.
Her Family Window:
Mom served her family with unwavering devotion. Her tender care of her parents, and the countless, selfless ways she tended them, especially throughout their final years was awe-inspiring. Mom was also truly always there for my Dad, Anna and me. I’ll never forget her joy on being sealed to my Dad, and then sealed as a family in the temple after her waiting, living to earn, and pleading with Heaven for that blessing for years.
Mom was vibrant and present. She trekked to wherever Mike, the kids and I were living to join in celebrations as well as everyday stuff and lend helping hands. She was a doting and involved Grandma to Ashley, Justin and Tyler; they adored her. Their treasure walks, ball games, tea parties, trips, and adventures, as well as her smiling face and cheering call were all treats and support, they relished! Adventures at Mom and Dad’s stomping grounds in Tennessee were brimming with plays, exploring, blackberry picking, pontoon lazing, mini golf, crafting, cooking, gardening, firefly nights and always warm cookies and ice cream.
After we moved to Evans, Georgia and Nashville, Tennessee and then Atlanta, Georgia, it was even easier to get together. Oh, the times and fun we had through those years! We enjoyed just daily life happenings and the milestones we had, too – baptisms, ordinations, graduations, piano and dance recitals, Eagle courts, mission calls, temple marriages, baby births!
When our kids’ wonderful spouses: Chris, Elise and Jessica and then their children: Jackson, Raegan, Riley, Carter and Cameron blessed our family, her joy overflowed. They have been both blessed by her love and have shown her great love for which I am so grateful! Several of my friends through the years have told me that by her exuberant and heart-full example, she taught them how to be grandmothers. We try to emulate her - the best.
Mom’s Reflective Window:
When I asked her to describe herself a few years ago, she said: “You could describe me as sensitive to the feelings of others, enjoying opportunities to serve, loving, optimistic, fun-loving, but very practical and hard-working. I’m just me!”
“I like spending time with my husband, my kids, my grandkids and special friends! I also like chocolate, sunshine, moonbeams, the sounds of crickets and ocean waves, fireflies blinking on a dark summer night, dogs, red lady bugs, good food, vacations, plays, feel-good music, time spent with my aunts, uncles and cousins, travelling, soft and fuzzy socks and being warm!”
In her words: “Everybody likes to be happy. It’s one of the goals in life - to live a happy, productive life. You’re only as happy as you make up your mind to be. I think you create your own happiness by getting out of bed in the morning, grateful to meet the day, having a loving family, and giving service to others.”
Mom’s Spiritual Window:
President Russell M. Nelson has said: “The greatest compliment that can be earned her in this life is to be known as a covenant keeper.” Mom was indeed that!
Being an Atlanta temple worker with my dad was a huge blessing and highlight for her and helped her open spiritual windows for others. They’d make the 4-hour drive trip each way at least once a month to serve as ordinance workers for 2 days at a time and relished the opportunity and calling.
Lots of callings blessed her life through the years, including visiting teacher (to get to all her sisters was sometimes a 100-mile round trip), Relief Society President, Young women’s president, seminary teacher, nursery leader. Teaching Gospel Doctrine was a particular favorite calling. Her dedication and preparation were epic! She helped grow our tiny church branch from a rented, cinderblock building with no heat, air or running water, where at any given Sunday each of the few of us there were called upon to say several prayers, conduct the music, give at least 2 talks and maybe 3 lessons a month, and raise money for a phased building project which happened. Sometimes she had as many as 7 callings at a time! Now, through the Lord’s blessings and every stalwart member’s dedicated efforts, there is a wonderful, burgeoning ward in Crossville.
She also loved her service and associations in our 13-unit, Knoxville Stake as a Stake Young Woman’s President, Relief Society Homemaking Leader, 1st Counselor and 2nd Counselor and as the Stake Single Adult Leader. Our stake building was an hour’s travel by car and in a different time zone than the Cumberland Plateau where we lived, so attending meetings and travelling to units meant getting up at 3 a.m. multiple times a month and traveling hours each time for her. She didn’t complain. She went and did!
St. Croix’s tiny branch was also blessed with Mom and Dad’s pioneer-working efforts as they helped bolster and instruct their new-to-the-gospel, island brothers and sisters in the tropical 3 years they lived in the Virgin Islands.
Whether it was active member missionary efforts, picking potatoes at the branch welfare or Bishop’s storehouse farm, teaching, mentoring, speaking, hosting a church booth to talk to others at the county fairs, hosting and financially supporting missionaries, or lending a listening ear to others in need, Mom and Dad were actively engaged in the gospel efforts everywhere they were. Mom truly had a service-loving heart and Christ like love for others.
Their ward family dearly cherished my parents. After alerting several sweet friends there of Mom’s passing, I received this note from one of them following fast and testimony meeting:
“Just thought you’d like to know that a lot of the testimonies today centered around your parents and their strong testimonies and the powerful influences they had on various members in our ward and stake. They are truly not forgotten and will live on through the experiences they shared with the rest of us. I can’t wait to see them again one day, as they truly made a difference in our lives!” (Angela McCoy)
One dear cousin aptly put it: “She will be remembered as a loving servant of our Father in Heaven.” Another dear family member summed things up with “She was simply the best of the best!”
Her Community Window:
Although missing Utah and friends and family here, Sherron dove in full tilt to bloom where she was planted upon our move to Fairfield Resort adjacent to Crossville, Tennessee, where she and my Dad lived for over 42 years. Her contributions are many and varied:
She was instrumental in working together with the group of people who made the several-years-long dream and the process of building of a 35,000 square foot, phenomenal new library in her Crossville, Tennessee community a reality. Complete with advanced technology stations, a spacious, special children’s section including a puppet theater, computers and a playful animal carousel, conference rooms, reading nook sections, and vast literary offerings and guest lecturers, it became known as the community living room and is in constant use for learning, meeting and gatherings of all kinds. They offer a vast collection of volumes as well as free concerts, classes from crafting to genealogy, children’s story time, free reading programs. Mom loved the talented people who worked together to give this gift to all who live there and surrounding areas.
Art Circle ladies service group in Crossville called her president 3 different times over the years as together they served the library and community through fund raisers, book clubs and cultural events, book and author luncheons and dial-a-story projects and they enriched lives through new experiences - many at her direction. She was also a Regional Library Board member & Vice-President, and Art Circle Public Library Foundation Board member and on the Cumberland County Library Board where she also served as a President.
Back-stage work and even an on-stage role in the illustrious and well-known Cumberland County Playhouse plays were a treat, as we played together in some of those theatrical productions.
Mom volunteered everywhere, at my schools, as a Pink Lady at University of Utah Hospital working with surgical patients, as the Fairfield Glad Ladies’ Service Club president and in the libraries. She was an angel ministering to ward and community members, quietly and consistently.
She mused: The greatest happiness in life is spending time with your family and doing things together. Serving in the church and the community is important; so is having good friends. Serve others and lift them up. All those things combined, help to make a joyful life!”
A phenomenal woman, her skills, talents, rare gifts, and heart were well shared as she opened the window of her life and shared freely with others.
And Her Final Earthly Window:
As Alzheimer’s viciously stole her away these last five years – a piece at a time, we have faced this giant together through the anguish, tumult and pain. The Lord was with us and the blessings were many, the tears were rivers and the heartbreak real. It stretched us in ways we could not imagine to brinks we teetered on, but He was there and I am so thankful for the blessing of being able to serve her and love her, to battle together, sometimes broken, but determined until she was mercifully called home to our Father in Heaven. She fought valiantly. She passed peacefully.
I love the perspective a quote I read reminds us of: “Could the thorny crown we carry right now be the one that prepares us to live with Him again – the crown fit for kings and queens?” I know she has been received to her Father, and has earned that crown.
I’m also ever appreciative of my amazing husband, Mike, and his selfless service to her and to ALL my kids and kids in law and grandchildren, other dear family and friends whose support buoyed me up and whose goodness and visits helped my Mom.
A dear friend recounted a time she and Mom shared just last year. Mom was still able to speak then, but was not remembering anyone or much else. As our friend visited her, as she did often, Mom inquired where she knew her from. My friend responded that it was from church. Mom’s face brightened and she exclaimed: “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints”? “Yes!” “Oh,” Mom delightedly responded: “I’m a member of that Church! And I love my Savior!” She beamed. She didn’t remember very much, but she knew that to her core – she loved her Savior. She knew Him. Such a telling example of her essence and faith.
As evidenced here, you can see that Sherron lived a rich, full life, abounding in love of family, friends and the Lord. She was a gift to each of us from Him. She will continue to be such through the work she will do now beyond the veil and the tremendous and vibrant legacy she gave to each of us whose lives were touched by hers – that of faith, testimony, service, using our talents, blessing others. Mom was and is a beautiful gift to us – I am forever molded, changed and thankful for her.
Mom, I know you heard “Well done thou good and faithful servant” when you reached God and our Savior’s embrace. Remember “I love you a bushel and a peck” and I’m happy you’re having what you’d term the “Zip-a-dee-doo-dah” days you cherished here where you are now yourself again and with those you love there. I also know you’ll be watching over and assisting us still – just from quite a holier place.
May we all go forward and do all good things through Christ who strengthens us, as He did you.
Mom, I love you and thank you for the gift of you and the windows you opened for us all. I honor you forever. God be with you, and with us in your absence, until we meet again!