Obituary of Sharon T. Hayward

On October 10, 1946, God sent us an angel. On April 23, 2019, He brought her back home. During the 72-plus years Sharon spent with us, this remarkable and much-loved woman touched the hearts of thousands of people.

Born in Seattle, Sharon Sherwood was the oldest child of Bernard Beasley Sherwood and Louise M. Espinosa Sherwood. She had four brothers and a sister.

After attending 12 years of Catholic schooling, 17-year-old Sharon knew at that time and place in history, even with good grades and great intelligence, college was not an option for her. She began her working career as a minimum-wage secretary for a Seattle insurance company. 

Marriage to Ross Eberle, a move to Olympia where she lived for over 50 years, and the birth of sons Jason and Jon followed. 

After a stint as executive secretary to the president of the Association of Washington Business, in 1983 Sharon took her considerable talents to the state House of Representatives. She first served as secretary to the Republican House leader, later as deputy chief of staff, chief of staff, deputy chief clerk of the House, and, with the House under control of the Democratic Party, she was asked to serve as director of House Facilities, a position from which she retired in 2009.  

In July 1991, Sharon made Allen Hayward the luckiest man on earth by agreeing to be his bride. They married in Anchorage, Alaska, and the romantic husband took his bride on a salmon fishing trip. Their love story has never ended.

Sharon also loved the Washington state House of Representatives as an institution. But mostly she loved the people who make up that community. 

Assured and comfortable with any person or group, from the most powerful and wealthy to the least powerful and poor, Sharon always wanted to help. In a large group of people, it was common to find Sharon talking to and helping staff members who were working the event. They were the ones who most needed her.

Sharon was very proud of her sons, Jason and Jon, and simply adored her grandchildren, Rylee, Ainslee, and Quinn. She would not trade a single piece of art that Rylee did for her for the entire collection at the Louvre of France. She is G’ma for Ainslee and her volleyball teammates. She will still be cheering them on but now they will need to listen not with their ears but rather their hearts. And Quinn, when you need just a bit of help to make the play, it will be Sharon who gives you the boost.

Sharon has two wonderful sisters. One by family, Julie, who did everything humanly possible, and more, to make Sharon’s courageous battle with cancer as comfortable as it could be, and her sister through longtime friendship, Meg Helmick. There are stories that could be told about the adventures of Sharon and Meg, but it is possible the statutes of limitations may not have yet run on all of them. Suffice it to say, while they worked incredibly hard, they played incredibly hard as well.   

That Sharon loved people and cared deeply was reflected in her everyday life and action. While she gave to many charities it should be no surprise that two of her favorites were the Union Gospel Mission and Saint Jude’s Hospital for Children. Friends are certainly welcome to donate to those organizations or to any other they may choose as a tribute to Sharon. But I suspect Sharon would ask you to make how you live your life your donation: showing kindness and respect and love to everyone. 

We were blessed with an angel for 72 years who showed us the way.

Sharon is survived by her loving husband, Allen Hayward; her son Jason and his children Rylee and Ainslee; her son Jon and his wife Natalie and their son Quinn; her stepson Matt and his wife Lindsay; her sister Julie Knackstedt and Julie’s son Joe and daughter Lea McCartney (Sharon always thought of Joe and Lea as being her children as well.); her brother Dave and his wife Janet; her brother Danny and Wendy Gross; her brother Steve, AKA Hinkey Boy, his wife Deirdre and their boys Jack and Connor; her father- and mother-in-law Don and Barb Hayward; her sister- and brother-in-law Carol and Dave Lund. Sharon’s brother Paul predeceased her by only a few months. Her parents Bernie B. and Louise also predeceased Sharon.

A celebration of the life of this remarkable woman will be held Sunday, May 19, 2019 from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the State Capitol Building.

To see the Washington State House Tribute to Sharon during the April 24 afternoon legislative session, go to 

https://www.tvw.org/watch/?clientID=9375922947&eventID=2019041233