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MAYFORTH, Sharon Anne
June 29, 1937 — March 4, 2025
“I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world.”
-Mother Teresa
Sharon Mayforth went home to be with the Lord on Tuesday, March 4, 2025. She is survived by her three children: Pamela (Dale) Hanson, Polly (Myron) Krause, and Perry (Michelle) Mayforth; as well as her nine grandchildren; her two great-grandchildren; and her sister and two brothers. She was predeceased by her husband, Ronald Eric Mayforth (2019), and her oldest sister.
Sharon Anne Yntema was born on June 29, 1937, in Gross Pointe Woods, Michigan, USA. Mark and Janet Yntema raised their five children, Janet, Sharon, Patricia, Mark “Bud”, and Philip in that area where they attended the Grosse Pointe Baptist Church. Sharon was a musical gal, singing with the Detroit Voice of Youth Gospelaires in High School.
After High School, Sharon enrolled at Fort Wayne Bible College, where she was part of the cheerleading squad and participated in drama and various musical ensembles. It was here she met the studious, witty love of her life, Ronald Eric Mayforth. They were married September 12, 1959, in Detroit, as they entered their last year of Bible College. Sharon graduated with a BS in Music Education with a minor in Language Arts. She later added another major in Elementary Education from the Sioux Falls College.
Sharon always said she loved being a pastor’s wife. Together, Ron and Sharon faithfully served churches in Indiana, South Dakota, Michigan, Alberta, and British Columbia. They were dynamite as a team – and Sharon served alongside Ron, leading worship and providing special music; teaching Sunday School; running Daily Vacation Bible School; heading up Women’s Ministries; doing visitation; serving on boards; speaking at women’s events; and in her later years, planning bus trips for the Senior’s Ministry at Trinity Baptist Church dubbed the Kelowna express. She directed the choir in many of the churches she was a part of, whether Ron was the pastor or not. She also welcomed a vast stream of people into her home. She did much of this while raising three children (“The Three Ps” Pam (1964), Polly (1966) and Perry (1968)) and working on the side.
Wherever Ron worked, Sharon did also. She taught the third grade, putting her husband through seminary in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. She taught kindergarten out of the Brentview Baptist Church in Calgary, Alberta. She taught elementary school music in Bismarck, North Dakota. In Edmonton, she joined the staff at the North American Baptist College where she taught English and Music Appreciation, directed the women’s chorus and coached music teams. This is also where she began her career as an Avon Lady, peddling her makeup and perfumes door to door and, eventually, recruiting Avon Ladies, winning numerous awards and hearts along the way. In Chicago, she became a substitute teacher to free her up to travel with Ron on his speaking engagements for the NAB Conference. Upon returning to Edmonton a second time, her previous successful foray into sales won her a full-time job in Fund Development for the North American Baptist College and the Edmonton Baptist Seminary, which she continued in until her retirement in 2007. She had good opportunities; she gave herself to God, the people, and her work and was rewarded with a rich vocational life.
Sharon and Ron lived in 16 different places and had the privilege of travelling to Israel, Egypt, Greece, Turkey, England, Scotland, Wales, The Bahamas, Mexico, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Holland, Yugoslavia and most of the US and Canada.
Sharon and Ron celebrated sixty years of married life before Ron passed.
Sharon loved God, God’s word, the church of Jesus, her husband, family and friends, nature, reading, humour, music, theatre, dining out, walking, golfing, and swimming.
She was a devoted follower of Jesus and a loving daughter, sister, wife, mother, and friend. She was exceedingly cheerful, warm, friendly, vivacious, gregarious, loving, kind, and gracious. She was pure sunshine. If anyone lived out the mandate to love God and people, it was Sharon. Someone once said of Corrie Ten Boom that “she reeked of Jesus” and Sharon did just that. She touched many lives and she will be missed. We thank God for Sharon Anne Mayforth.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Taylor Seminary (www.kairos.edu/legacy-partners/taylor-seminary) – go to “helpful links” and then to the choice “make a gift”.
There will be a Memorial Service on Saturday, April 12, 2025, at 1:00 pm PDT, with Reverend Colin Cross officiating, at Springfield Funeral Home, 2020 Springfield Road, Kelowna, BC. Please wear colourful clothing. Sharon would have wanted it that way. If you are unable to attend in person, please join the family online by Livestream at the time of the service (see below), a recording will be made available to view in 3-5 days.
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LIVESTREAM:
June 29 1937 — March 4 2025
Death notice for the town of: Kelowna, Province: Colombie britanique
death notice MAYFORTH Sharon Anne June 29 1937 — March 4 2025
obituaries notice MAYFORTH Sharon Anne June 29 1937 — March 4 2025
We offer our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of MAYFORTH Sharon Anne June 29 1937 — March 4 2025 and hope that their memory may be a source of comfort during this difficult time. Your thoughts and kind words are greatly appreciated.
