With shattered hearts the family of Sharon K. Smith announces her passing on July 8, 2023. Sharon leaves behind her dear husband, Clair D. Smith, of almost 62 years; children, Tim (Paula), Jodi (Darin), and Eric (Cari); grandchildren, Brandon, Dustin, and Jared; great- grandchildren, Bryan, Jaxon, Katie-Lynn and Jaelyn. Sharon was a fifth generation Arizonan. Sharon’s family, the Olivers, Coopers and Whites helped to found this beautiful state we live in, and her family have been pioneers to the Arizona territory, original homesteaders, developers of towns, cities and infrastructure. There isn’t much in Show Low, Taylor, and Snowflake that wasn’t either owned, ranched or farmed by Sharon’s family at one time or another. Sharon was born in Mesa on Aug. 30, 1943. Sharon came into a family of siblings including John, Cherrel, Lloyd, Brian and Charlie. Sharon’s parents moved to Ft. Apache when she was still a toddler. She made many lifetime friends while living in Ft. Apache. Sharon’s kinship, love and respect for her dear friends, the White Mountain Apache people, has never faded and has only grown stronger, they are her extended family. In Phoenix, while in high school, Sharon met husband, Clair Smith. As the story goes, Clair had already seen her years before while still in the white mountains at a turkey shoot and had gotten her attention by being a crack shot. Sept 5, 1962, is their anniversary, married to the same person, as they always have said. Nearly 62 years. Sharon and Clair have always said they couldn’t divorce because no one would take the kids, that was later amended to no one will take the grandkids. In the early 1990’s Clair and Sharon moved back to the mountain and have lived in Taylor ever since. Owens Livingston Mortuary of Snowflake handled the arrangements.
