Sharon Thomas Ward

AUGUST 20, 1944 – NOVEMBER 5, 2021

Sharon Ruth (Thomas) Ward passed away surrounded by family after a prolonged illness on November 5, 2021. She was born August 20, 1944 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to William Arthur (Art) Thomas and Ruth (Mock) Thomas.

The family soon moved to Chillicothe, Ohio, where Sharon spent her childhood with her parents and older brother Tom and graduated from Chillicothe High School.

Sharon later went on to Indiana University, where she graduated with a degree in Music and met her first husband, Glenn M. Reedy, Jr. with whom she welcomed a son, Thomas Michael (Mike) and settled in the Dallas, Texas area. The family enjoyed traveling together, whether it was to London, England or making the journey back to Ohio over the holidays.

Sharon served as a den mother in Cub Scouts, chaperoned numerous field trips and served in many volunteer capacities, including helping to organize the first Dallas-area March of Dimes parade. Following Her divorce from Glenn Reedy, Sharon went back to work in office administration and met her second husband, A.B. (Sonny) Ward. She married Sonny and became stepmother to eight beloved stepchildren, and she and Sonny had a son together, Scott.

Following her divorce from Sonny, she moved into a senior residence where she often organized musical and cultural events for fellow residents and remained an active member of the Latter-Day Saints church. Sharon had a lifelong love of music, whether she was performing in a choir or listening to a symphony or watching her son Scott perform in the J.J. Pearce High School band. She also enjoyed collecting celebrity autographs, a hobby she passed along to her son, Mike, and her grandson Parker. She once braved the crowds at the Galleria Mall during a visit by Michael Jackson – and with her intrepid encouragement, Mike slipped through security and got the only autograph during the singer’s visit. Her spirit of adventure extended beyond musical appreciation – as a college student, she hitchhiked across the Canadian Rockies while working as a summer camp counselor.

In later years, Sharon struggled with poor health, due to chronic pain and other ailments. But whether she was battling breast cancer, attending a Fibromyalgia support group or advocating for her own health, she approached every challenge life gave her with a gently tenacious spirit.

Sharon was a beloved mother, stepmother, mother-in-law, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend. She is survived by her sons MikeReedy and Scott Ward, her stepchildren Lorraine, Jeff, Diana, Brian, Spencer, Chris and Julie, her grandchildren Parker Reedy and Luke Reedy, 29 step-grandchildren and 8 step-great grandchildren, her niece Gretchen, and numerous other cousins. She was preceded in death by both her ex-husbands Glenn and Sonny, her parents, her brother and her stepson, Kenny.

A service celebrating Sharon’s life will be held December 18, 2021 at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Plano, Texas.