Sharon George Engebretson

Our mother, Sharon, was a deeply private person, requesting no viewing, funeral or obituary. We followed most of her wishes, but not this one. She was a woman worth remembering, even if she would disagree. These are our words honoring her life.

Sharon Louise was born November 3, 1937, to James Wesley and Edna Bingham George in Choteau, Montana. She was the third of four children, the daughter of a sheepherder, starting her life in humble surroundings in Bynum, MT, where she literally attended a one room schoolhouse. Her home had no indoor plumbing, no running water, and no central heating. She shared her memory of being only five years old when their little town finally got electricity. She sat with her family in their front room watching as each home lit up, one after the other, as electricity moved along the wires.

Her family moved to a farm outside of Choteau when she began seventh grade. Her parents lived on that farm until her mother passed away. We have so many fond memories of spending time there. Not only did her dad keep a small herd of sheep (enough so he couldn’t travel too far, according to her mom), he also had a herd of Shetland ponies, providing my sister and me with our first pony, Coco.

After graduating from Choteau High School, mom moved with her best friend to Helena, MT, where she met our father, Donald Leroy Byrd. Besides having two daughters, Kelly and Kim, they also had a baby son that passed in infancy. They later divorced and she married Charles Leroy Engebretson, and their mutual travels began. They lived in Helena, Colorado, and Southern California until they planted roots in Smithfield in 1982. Even then, they spent many winters in Lake Chapala, Mexico. Though she saw a bit of the world, she was always so proud to claim her birthright of being from Montana.

Mom loved her home in Smithfield. If you ever drove down Main Street, you would remember her little white house with the absolutely beautiful yard and flower beds. She had a green thumb and happily toiled outside for decades from Spring until Fall. Her home was just as beautiful on the inside, too. She had a keen eye for decorating, especially at Christmastime with her flocked white tree and holiday décor. She outshone everyone with her skills in creating magazine-worthy wrapped presents, having spent a season or two wrapping gifts at the Bon. She generously passed down her natural talent, where we gladly give credit by saying “it came from Grandma.”

She was a detail-oriented, precise, hardworking, frugal woman. Her skills included working fulltime as a professional assistant, keeping a spotless house, and basically cooking a “Sunday” style dinner every night from scratch. (It was a huge treat when we ate out at the A&W in Helena.)
Her bookkeeping skills and tenacity in successfully tackling huge endeavors was legendary. She not only took on the VA, getting our stepfather the disability that he had rightfully earned during his military service, she is also the only person we know of who got money back during an IRS audit, somehow missing one or two deductions.

Mom never wavered from the faith that she was born into and experienced the joy of being sealed to
Charles in the Los Angeles Temple September 22, 1978. She developed many longtime friendships
with members of her ward and had a deep sense of belonging and community in Smithfield. It was with great sadness that she had to leave her home the Summer of 2022, spending two months with her oldest daughter until residing at Legacy House. One of our greatest joys was taking care of her over the past several months. We dearly wished we had been given more time with her in our care, but it wasn’t wasted. She loved being doted on and we happily complied. There was time to share our love for one another, time to create new happy memories and time to share old happy memories, and time for gratitude that we were family. She died knowing she was deeply loved by her family and that she would be missed.

Mom passed January 18, 2023 at Legacy. She was the very last of her origin family to depart. She leaves behind Kelly (Todd) Olsen with their four children and grandchildren, and Kim Wangsgaard with her two children and grandchildren.

We would like to gratefully thank the staff at Legacy House including Haylee and Janea, and Shalise and Dennis at Sunshine Hospice, for their care of our precious mom during these past few weeks. Their support allowed her the peace and comfort of being in her room at Legacy until her time came.