Sherry J Johnson

Our cherished mother, Sherry J. Johnson, passed away peacefully in St. George, Utah, on the evening of May 23, 2024, at the age of 87. We imagine a joyful reunion with her life’s love and eternal companion, Gary Thorley Johnson, parents Charles and Phyllis Johnson, adoptive parents Della and Robert Lawrence, her nine siblings and their spouses, and many other loved ones who were waiting to welcome her home.

Sherry loved people and beautifully filled more roles than any one person could hope for: daughter, aunt, wife & mother (her favorites), grandmother, great-grandmother, and even great-great-grandmother!

Born on November 9, 1936, at home in Grantsville, Utah, Sherry was the youngest of Charles Wallace Johnson and Phyllis Ratcliffe Judd’s ten children. She was loved and adored then as she was to the end of her life. Because of a busy and active household of six brothers and three sisters, until Sherry was nearly four months old, she was simply called “Baby.” The Johnson family was tight-knit and enjoyed having Family Home Evenings - even in the 1930s - for they truly found joy in spending time together sharing music and telling stories.

When Sherry was just 2 ½ years old, her kind and generous father, who owned the town’s General Store, died of stomach cancer. The next 6 months of her life were often spent in her mother’s grieving arms, as Phyllis rocked her and sang “Lullaby and goodnight. . .” Mom could never sing that song without getting choked up with emotion.

In January of 1940, shortly after Sherry turned 3, her mother and two of Sherry’s siblings were involved in a car accident while returning to Grantsville from a youth activity in Salt Lake City. While the two siblings survived, Phyllis was taken quickly, and seven minor-aged children were left orphaned.

Sherry’s cousin Della remembered she was watching a show at the movie theater where she followed her parents out, only to hear the tragic news that Phyllis was gone. Della felt an immediate strong impression that she would raise those seven children. Della had been a great help to her aunt Phyllis as she would clean her home each week for pay (10 cents a day)  and watch the children on occasion. Now, the single 19-year-old would move into the family home and begin filling the role of parent.

The community rallied and provided temporal support, given Charles's generosity throughout the difficult 1930s to many customers by magnanimously extending any needed credit at the store, and because Phyllis had always been the life of the party and gathered many neighbors and those in need into her family circle over the years.

Della eventually married her sweetheart, Robert Lawrence, and they served and nurtured each of those seven orphaned children into exceptional adults. Della doted over baby Sherry, and they had a beautiful connection that must have started before this life. Sherry thrived being the baby sister of ten and then the oldest sister to the five siblings to come. The Lawrence home was filled with the gospel of Jesus Christ, love, and lots of good food! They welcomed many weary travelers of life over the years, and Sherry watched and learned how to encourage, lift, and buoy others up. If not for Della, Robert, and their family’s remarkable sacrifice, our mother would not have become the amazing woman she is. She learned from the greatest.

Mom attended Brigham Young University in the fall of 1955 and had a fun, footloose, and fancy-free year such that she attracted the attention of a tall, curly-headed blonde young man who had just completed his service in the army. Because Gary Johnson was quickly head over heels, their second date was to the LDS church’s Family History Library to learn if their common last name of Johnson would be ok! Certification that, in fact, Jorgensen and Johansen were their ancestors' names, Gary and Sherry were married and sealed on September 7, 1956, in the Salt Lake Temple.

While in college in Provo, they welcomed three children. After moving to Las Vegas, Nevada, they had one more. They finally settled in Gary’s hometown of Overton, Nevada, where their last two daughters were born. Even though she sometimes missed her Utah landscape, Mom came to appreciate the Nevada desert, where it is said that she blossomed not just as a rose but as a rose bush! Mom decided to get involved in the Moapa Valley community and she served in a wide variety of church callings, which were extremely fulfilling to her because of the people she served with. As a Stake Relief Society President, Ward Young Women’s President, Primary President, Relief Society Teacher, and Visiting Teacher, Sherry gave it her all.

Mom would say she was 20 years single, 20 years a stay-at-home mom, and then 20 years in the workforce. She thoroughly enjoyed being the Secretary of Bowler Elementary School, where she was so fond of her many co-workers, the children, and  parents that she came to know. Throughout her life, Mom frequently sought ways to create beauty and especially delighted in painting in oils, sketching in pencil, and sculpting. She seized the chance to learn something new whenever possible and shared this gift with others.

Service was Mom’s love language, and there were many opportunities to offer this strength over the course of her life. Welcoming 24 grandchildren to Grandma’s meant lots of food, snuggles, and work to plan activities and keep her family connected. Realizing one of her lifelong dreams to wear a tag bearing the name of Jesus Christ as a missionary Sherry and Gary served as companions in the Arkansas Little Rock Mission (twice!). Caring for Dad for so many years after their missions, when his health declined, meant that Mom would work to the end to keep him comfortable and happy. Sherry’s happiest times as she was aging were spent visiting with family members. Without fail, she would ask just the right questions and say just the right words to leave you feeling capable, encouraged, and happy. Her bright smile was the very last thing to fade from our beautiful Mother’s countenance.

Sherry is survived by her children Rick (Cyndy) Johnson, Patty (Jeff) Olsen, Jeannine (Paul) Bowerman, David (Lisa) Johnson, Karen (Bruce) Doty, and Jennifer (Todd) Hilbig, twenty-three grandchildren (predeceased by one granddaughter), forty-four great-grandchildren (predeceased by one great-granddaughter), and three great-great-grandchildren.

We are all grateful for the sweet and tender care our mother was provided in the last year and a half of her life, thanks to the wonderful team at Beehive Homes of Washington County. And the amazing Applegate Home Care and Hospice group during her final 3 weeks. Thank you for helping our mother, as well as us, with dignity and compassion.

We will celebrate our Mom’s life beginning Friday, May 31, 2024 with a viewing from 6:00–8:00 pm at Moapa Valley Mortuary 5090 N Moapa Valley Blvd., Logandale, Nevada. Funeral Services will be held on Saturday, June 1, 2024, at the Overton Chapel, 226 W Thomas Street, Overton, Nevada, at 11:00 am, with a viewing prior from 9:30-10:30. The services will be live-streamed through Zoom. The family invites you to leave a message or memory in their Guest Book at www.moapavalleymortuary.com.