Obituary of Sharon Lois Mathews

Sharon Lois (Saeger) Mathews was born in Olympia to Dorothy Lois (Smith) and William Walter Saeger on May 24, 1936. She attended Michael T. Simmons Elementary before going to Olympia High School, graduating in 1953. She spent two years at Centralia Junior College then went to Central Washington College of Education, graduating in 1957 with a major in English, a minor in journalism, and a lifetime teaching certificate.

She wrote human interest stories for the Olympia News before going to college and often told the story of meeting heavy weight champion Joe Lewis in the back room of the Spar because she was not old enough to enter a drinking establishment.

Sharon met John Roy Mathews at a USO dance at Fort Lewis and they were married on September 24, 1958. They made their first home in Olympia where John worked as an auto mechanic and Sharon taught 5^th grade for the Griffon School District. Their son, Kenneth, was born in December 1959. The family moved to his home in California, but Sharon was visiting in Olympia when twin daughters, Pamela and Patricia, were born in March 1962.

After the marriage ended, Sharon returned to the family farm in Olympia and lived there until it was taken over by the Port of Olympia in 1995. She sold advertising for the Olympia News and was a substitute teacher in and around Thurston County. Sharon also helped develop the program, and taught English as a Second Language for the Olympia School District Night School Program. She went to work for the State of Washington at Employment Security in 1980 after the eruption of Mount St. Helens, and retired from the Department of Licensing in November 2008.

Sharon was very active in her community and was a precinct committeeman at one time. In the late 60s, she volunteered to be the Open Class Home Arts Superintendent at the Thurston County Fair and continued as the Superintendent until the early 1980s. She was appointed to the Thurston County Historical Commission in 1988 and was helping edit their latest book at the time of her death.

Sharon became a third generation Granger when she joined the South Union Grange in September 1963 and received all seven degrees in a three-month period. She helped organize the South Union Junior Grange in 1966 and served as the Junior Matron for many years. Sharon held many offices in the Grange but always said Lecturer was her favorite and she served as her Subordinate and Pomona Lecturer many times, receiving numerous awards. She was serving as South Union’s Flora and on the Executive Committee at the time of her death.

Sharon passed away while visiting her son and daughter-in-law in Missouri on March 8, 2019. She will be laid to rest beside her parents and grandparents at the Tumwater Masonic Memorial Park. She is survived by her son, Kenneth (Ruthanne) of Aurora, Missouri; her daughters, Pamela and Patricia of Olympia; seven grandchildren, Michael, Jennifer, Tracy, Daniel, Brandi, Brandon, and Lisa; and 13 great grandchildren.

A Memorial/Celebration of Life will be held Saturday, April 27, 2019, 1:00 p.m. at the South Union Grange, 10030 Tilley Road SW #860, Olympia, WA 98512. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that a donation be made to the South Union Grange scholarship fund, which Sharon helped organize. The mailing address for the South Union Grange is PO Box 14072, Tumwater, WA 98511.