SHARON K. GODFREY 1951-2021

GODFREY, WILSON, JURGENSEN, CRAIG, MACOMB, HAGEBOCK, KURTZ, SCHULTZ, ROGNE, MCCULLOUGH, SUDTELGTE, FOSTER

Posted By: volunteer (email)
Date: 9/20/2021 at 16:27:15

Sharon Kay Wilson (Jurgenson) Godfrey passed away peacefully at the Valley Baptist Medical Center in Harlingen, Texas on Friday, September 17th at the age of seventy. Her husband, Loren Godfrey, was at her side.

Funeral services will be held on Friday, September 24th, at 10:30 a.m. at the Boothby Funeral Home in Cherokee, Iowa. Pastor Jonathan Caldwell will officiate. Burial will be in the Sunset View Cemetery at Washta, Iowa. A luncheon will be held at the Washta United Methodist Church in Washta following the burial. Visitation will be held on Thursday, September 23rd from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m. with the family present from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. at the Boothby Funeral Home in Cherokee, Iowa. Online condolences can be left at www.boothbyfuneral.com

Sharon entered the world on April 23rd, 1951 and was adopted, along with her sister Debra, by Donald and Nedra Wilson, who raised her on their farm outside of Arnolds Park, Iowa. She grew up to the tune of her father’s banjo and was nourished by her mother’s legendary fried chicken. She was involved in many activities throughout school, but her shining glory came when her one act play performed at state contest, for which she received special recognition.

After graduating Arnolds Park High School, she moved to Le Mars, Iowa and studied cosmetology at Le Mars Beauty School. On August 15th, 1970, she married Roger Jurgenson with whom she raised four children. She continued her career as a beautician at Spurgeon’s Hair Salon, taught at Le Mars Beauty College, and managed the Regis Hair Salon in Sioux City, Iowa. During that time, her love for theatre never wavered. She appeared in several productions in the Le Mars Community Theater, and when she wasn’t onstage, she was leading the hair and makeup teams for other productions. While in Le Mars, she was also a student at Westmar College.

Following the end of her first marriage, she returned to her beloved Iowa Great Lakes where she served as the Director of Sales at Village East Resort and The Inn at Okoboji. She was an extremely proud member of the Iowa Great Lakes Chamber of Commerce. She also continued performing at the Spirit Lake Community Theatre.

On June 19th, 2010, Sharon married Loren Godfrey and they shared a home in Cherokee, Iowa. She worked as an administrative assistant at the Cherokee Chamber of Commerce and graduated Cum Laude from Kaplan University. She devoted her spare time to working with the Cherokee Legion Auxiliary as well as becoming a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, which she continued after her retirement in 2013. Sharon also served on the Arnolds Park Community School Scholarship Committee. Later, Loren and Sharon shared a home on the north shore of Big Sprit Lake, where she continued to be involved with Milford American Legion before deciding to spend their retirement in Rio Hondo, Texas.

Sharon was a woman of many words. She was quick-witted and loved telling stories and sharing her opinion. Hardly a day went by when she wouldn’t be on Facebook, sharing whatever she found inspiring, funny, or thought-provoking. She viewed the world as her stage. She took enormous pride in her family and loved them fiercely. Her arms were always open for a hug for anyone who needed one. She loved to show her affection, and that extended beyond her own nuclear family and her beloved dogs, Herky and Candy. Anyone who was invited into her home was treated as family as well. Sharon volunteered her time as school chaperones, troupe leaders, and as a softball coach. She reveled in the achievements of her children and grandchildren.

Idle time was a foreign concept for Sharon, as she was constantly busy. She was an avid gardener, growing beautiful flowers and reaping bountiful crops. Anything that wasn’t eaten right away was pickled or canned. Sharon believed there was a treasure to be uncovered in any thrift store or antique shop she visited, and many owners of those shops knew her by name. She also had a passion for home decorating. She could look at a bare wall and turn it into a gallery of special pictures, mementos, and decorations. If there was something she needed to make herself, her hot glue gun was always close at hand. Everything she did, she did with flair. She also loved the water. When she wasn’t cruising the lake in a boat, she was sitting at the end of a dock, dangling her feet in the water. The only times she truly sat still was sitting around a fire on a cool summer night or cuddling up with a cup of tea and watching Turner Classic Movies. Her knowledge of the Golden Age of Hollywood was vast. Her latest passion was performing genealogy research and learning the histories of the Wilson and Craig families. She loved sharing her latest discoveries, including a branch of the Wilson family that went all the way back to America’s Uncle Sam.

She is preceded in death by her father, Donald Raymond Wilson, her mother Nedra (Craig) Wilson, her grandparents James and Vera Wilson and Charles and Addie Craig, her granddaughter Emily MaComb, her father-in-law, Ralph Godfrey, her grandmother Nellie Hagebock, her brother Dale Kurtz, her half brothers Mike Schultz and Raymond Kurtz, and her brothers-in-law Lowell Rogne and Larry McCullough.

Sharon’s larger-than-life laugh and feisty spirit will live on in those she is survive by: her husband, Loren, her four children, Kariann Jurgenson of Ida Grove, Angela (Cory) MaComb of Le Mars, Jaime (Rob) Sudtelgte of Le Mars, and Don (Genevieve) Jurgenson of Tiffin. Sharon is also survived by her seven grandchildren, Kristina MaComb, Allison MaComb, Alexander MaComb, Caitlin Sudtelgte, Jackson Sudtelgte, Jason Sudtelgte, and Jocelyn Jurgenson, as well as two step-sons, Adam (Kady) Godfrey, Casey Godfrey, and a step-granddaughter, Addie Godfrey. She is also survived by her sisters Debra Rogne, Diana (Chuck) Foster, and Louise McCullough along with Roger Jurgenson, the father of her children, as well as many nieces and nephews.

From Boothby Funeral Home