Sharon Marie Walton of Springfield, Ore. passed away peacefully on March 2, 2022 at the age of 71, holding her husband’s hand.
Sharon was born on Oct. 31, 1950 in Coquille, Ore. Sharon graduated from Coquille High School in 1968. At 18, she met her future husband, Howard Walton, at the car wash in Myrtle Point, Ore. They were married less than 18 months later in Fort Sill, Okla., where her husband was stationed in the Army. Sharon and Howard later welcomed three children who they raised in Coos Bay and Springfield, Ore.
Sharon was known for her charity work and generosity. Her love of animals was extraordinary – among other things, she adopted numerous animals and contributed generously to humane societies throughout Oregon and Washington. She even made pouches for baby kangaroos misplaced by wildfires in Australia. Sharon also volunteered for Lutheran World Relief by making quilts for families all over the world, and for hospice organizations in Coos Bay, Oregon and Vancouver, Wash. As a young mother, Sharon sewed clothes for her children and work shirts for her husband. Sharon was an exceptionally intelligent woman and a member of the Oregon Genealogy Society. She spent countless hours researching the histories of her family members, as well as those of her many friends and acquaintances.
Sharon was an avid reader who was fond of true crime, mysteries, ghost stories and the occasional beach read. Her favorite authors were Agatha Christie, Ann Rule and Maeve Binchy. She also enjoyed discovering new places and created cherished memories traveling with her daughter in Europe, taking Alaskan cruises with her husband, and tracing the footsteps of her family’s ancestors throughout the United States. What she may be remembered for most of all was her beautiful gardens. Each one was unique, but her last garden was her masterpiece. It was a large and colorful English garden filled with flowers of every shape, size and color imaginable.
Most importantly, Sharon was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother who made close friendships everywhere she went.
She is preceded in death by her parents, Boyd and Ruby Stone; her grandparents, John and Minnie Stone and Hugh and Marie Katherine Johnson; and her brother, Terrence Casey.
Sharon is survived by her husband, Howard Walton; sons, Terry (Lisa) Walton and Chad Walton; daughter, Allyssa (Jeremy) Holcomb; six grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; sister, Marilyn Hill; and brother, John Stone.
Services will be held on March 26 at 1 p.m. at Springfield Lutheran Church, 1542 I Street in Springfield. All are welcome. The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made in Sharon’s name to the Oregon Humane Society, Hearts for Hospice of Oregon, or I AM ALS.
