Skip to main content

Celebrating the Life of Sharon Joyce Searle Gardener

     My sweet Grandma Gardener passed away on March 16th, 2022. It's hard to explain all the feelings that come as I grieve the loss of my grandma. Her husband passed away 45 years ago so we're all so happy she's with him again. But the sting is still there and the tears still come. So many wonderful memories come as I think about her. The Easter egg hunts at her house with the cousins, camping trips, singing and dancing in the kitchen as she did the dishes, finding her in her chair with her scriptures, her house at Christmas, Thanksgiving and so much more. 

   One of the most special things my grandma did was write all 61 of her grandchildren a handwritten letter for their birthdays. And it wasn't a couple paragraphs, it was a personalized full two pages of her expressing her pride in our accomplishments, how much she loved us and her testimony of Jesus Christ. None of us ever doubted she had a strong testimony.  It's pretty incredible she was able to remember all our birthdays let alone write so many letters. My letters are so special to me. 

   My dad got all my siblings and I hotel rooms in Idaho Falls for the funeral. We went up Friday and had time for the kids to swim before the viewing. 



Our hotel rooms all had balcony's with a view of the temple. It was beautiful. Mary was able to capture some amazing photos. 


  Grandma's funeral was really special. I was amazed at how many cousins were there that I hadn't seen in years. It was fun to catch up with them and other uncles and aunts. My mom sang for the funeral and did such beautiful job. All her siblings shared experiences and her life sketch. I loved hearing each's perspective of how grandma touched their life. Being a single mom and raising 11 kids was an extrodinary feat she accomplished.  Grandma was always on the go because she felt like she had to be. My mom told us the week before she passed was the most calm and peaceful she had ever seen her. I'm so glad she can finally rest. 



Lucy and Adeline with Grandma. Cuteness overload!

At the cemetery each grandchild and great-grandchild was able to place a carnation on her casket. 






Todd

Nate

Brayden

Cam

Em

From left to right: Mom, Dad, Mary, Cam, Adeline (20 months), Nate, Brayden, Todd, Em, Lucy (14 months), Tyson, Hudson (3), Loren, Jamie
Front row: Lydia (8), Greyson (7), random cousin girl, Allison (5)

As long as we had his truck and snacks Hudson was content.




All my mom's siblings and their spouses:
Left to right: Linda & Terry, Stacey and Farrel, Dave and Janet, Mark and Dana, Daren and Darlene, Bruce and Lynnette, Top: Gerry and Jolyn, David and Jenni, Greg and Shelli, Kim and Shawn, Laura and Thayne

The siblings:
Laura, Stacy, David, Linda, Mark, Daren, Bruce, Gerry, Jenni, Shelli and Kim

It was so fun to see one of my closest cousins, Shannon and her family. When we'd go to Idaho we'd stay at my grandma's but Shan's family lived right next door so I was always at their house. I remember staying with their family for a week during the summer. We always had so much fun together. 
Grandma's posterity as of March 16th, 2022:
11 children, 30 grandsons, 31 granddaughters, 73 great grandsons, 88 great granddaughters 
Total grandchildren: 61
Total great grandchildren: 161
Total spouses: 52
Total family members: 285
What a legacy! I'm proud to be a Searle!

We were able to hang out with my siblings for the rest of the weekend. We talked, laughed, played games and enjoyed every minute of being together. These times of life seem to bring the most important things back into focus. Our families and our relationship with Christ. I'm so grateful for my grandma and her example and legacy. I can't wait for the day that I get to see her again. 

Love you forever, Grandma.








Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Home Again!

  The end of another school year is here and with it brings our cross country road trip to Utah. Yay! We planned our trip two months in advance because my dad needed time to book our hotels. At the time, it seemed like common sense to leave right after Loren's last final on Thursday. I mean, what did we have to wait around for? The sooner the better!    Fast forward a week before we were to leave, I was seriously questioning our decision making abilities. Why didn't we just wait to leave on Friday so Loren could help me pack and finish cleaning? I still had a million things to do and couldn't get any of it done with Lydia wanting my attention. Loren was busy studying for finals and I felt guilty asking him for any help. What the blazes were we thinking?! It was a stressful time, to say the least.    One morning we woke to sirens and fire engines blaring. The visitors center had caught on fire! There was smoke everywhere and we spent the rest of the mornin...

"Grandma and Grandpa- Fun!"

  One thing i've really missed while being in Virginia is going to our siblings competitions and events. It's been so fun to be able to see them all in action this month.    Todd and Brendan were both involved in a debate competition. I was really impressed with how well they did, it's a scary thing but they did great!   The Wellsville mile is one of my favorite events of the year. It seems like theres more kids every time and they keep getting faster. We were so proud of Todd and Brendan, they both ran personal best times. Lydia had a blast watching all the kids, she wanted to run with them! Todd's enterauge. Emily and her friends were able to run with him. Great job boys!   This girl has amazed me with her dancing. She's grown so much from last year and is such a gorgeous dancer. It's so much fun to watch her. We went to her end of year dance performance and had a great time. Thank goodness for Loren, he's the only one who remembers to camera to take pictu...

Thanksgiving Bash!.. and Crash

  I have to say, this past week has been the most fun and exhausting week we've had in a long time.  But before we get into that, we had our first snowfall a couple weeks ago.  Lydia was DYING to make a snowman so daddy went out and helped her make one. They had a blast!   Here's some of Lydia's school papers.    The weekend before Thanksgiving our basement flooded.  One of the tubes that hook onto the gutter was pointed directly towards our house instead of away.  Thus, we had water in our family room and the unfinished room.  It kept coming in for two days.  About every 10 minutes we had to suck up the water on the first day, then about every hour on the second.  I think we have learned our lesson and plan on digging trenches to make a more efficient drainage system.  Thanks to everyone who helped! No permanent damage was done and we're so grateful.   Loren had a guys night with his...