Sharron Innes

Sharron J. Innes (2-28-1938 - 3-15-2025)

Sharron Janelle Innes (née Points) was born late at night on February 28th, 1938, at home in Council Bluffs Iowa, the second child of Joseph and Inez (Daugherty) Points. Her early childhood memories include WW2 rationing and home-front war-effort realities. Her father was employed with the Union Pacific Railroad and her mother worked at home caring for five young children and extended family members. 

Despite losing father Joseph unexpectedly to a stroke in 1945, despite family hardship, Sharron continued her studies, and graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School in 1956. She then enlisted in the US Navy where she attained the rank of Radioman First Class. 

In 1958 she left the service to marry high school sweetheart Ramón E. Petersen. They relocated to Los Angeles California, where "Pete" found work with the Bell Telephone System, while Sharron worked for insurance giant Lloyds of London. She stepped down from this career when daughter Tracie was born in summer of 1962. Son Matthew was not far behind, born in spring of 1964. During this time the family resided in a vintage stucco duplex in Inglewood, California. 

In 1966, Pete transferred within the Bell System from Los Angeles to Eugene, Oregon. They bought and refurbished an old house in the nearby small town of Elmira. Sharron became the president of the school Parent-Teachers Association at Elmira Elementary for 5 years while her children attended there. In 1972 that marriage ended. Sharron and her children moved back to be near her large extended family in Harrison and Pottawatamie counties in Iowa. There, she had a trusted web of social support and her children met and bonded with their many cousins, aunts and uncles. Sharron's direct ancestors were an integral part of the southwest Iowa-based founding of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in the 1860s. Sharron was baptised a member of the RLDS church; now known as the Community of Christ. Although she was not active in church as an adult, she had a personal strong faith in God and demonstrated great spiritual strength and right action, despite many hardships in her life. She could always be counted on to help out family and causes close to her heart. 

In 1973 Sharron began her career with the US National Park Service as a clerk in the Midwest regional office in Omaha, Nebraska, just across the Missouri River from Council Bluffs. Sharron really found a good fit in the NPS, and in summer of 1978, transferred to Olympic National Park in Port Angeles Washington where she met her second husband, John F. Innes, also a Park Service employee. They married in April of 1980. Later that year, they transferred to Lehman Caves National Monument (now Great Basin National Park) and lived and worked there until their divorce in 1995. 

Sharron then transferred to Crater Lake National Park in Oregon, to be close to her two children and two grandchildren and enjoy quiet life as a single person. She enjoyed reading, gameshows, puzzles and spending peaceful evenings at home, but she could also be very social and fun and made many diverse friends in the Park Service. She retired from the National Park Service in 1999 and moved back to Iowa to care for her mother Inez (Points, Chevalier) Rutherford until her passing in July of 2006. Younger sister Peggy Mefferd aided with this difficult task as well, with support from oldest sister Joan Breth, and younger sister Vickie Jordan. After Inez passed, Sharron and Peggy moved to Alabama to aid Joan's family there in support and caretaking other relatives. 

In 2010, it was time to go back to where their own children and grandchildren were; Sharron's in Oregon, Peggy's in Iowa. Sharron and Peggy enjoyed trips together and spoke on the phone nearly every day until Peggy's passing in 2023. Sharron has lived in Junction City since 2014, recently moving to her son's rural place west of town, where she enjoyed regular visits and parties with Oregon family and friends. 

Sharron passed away suddenly at home the evening of March 14, 2025, doing what she loved; researching things on the computer, playing Oregon lottery, reading historical Westerns, keeping up with news and golf and Duck football, writing poems and lyric ideas, and watching deer and birds in her front yard. She also enjoyed casinos, fishing, playing poker with family, singing karaoke, and live music, especially listening to her kids play, no matter what genre. Sharron herself was a strong vocalist and self-taught "by-ear" pianist and guitarist. It was very important to her that there be a record player, songbooks and instruments in the house, even during the hardest years of the 1970s. She especially loved torchy jazz, classic blues and old country, because it's the music that got her through sad times. 

She is survived locally by her daughter Tracie "TR" Kelley (partner Randy Hamme) of Springfield, son Matt Petersen (wife Carol) of Junction City, granddaughter Aradia (Kelley) Farmer (husband Brandon), and grandson Zane Kelley (wife Nicolle). 

She was preceded in death by her parents, Joseph Points and Inez (Points, Chevalier) Rutherford, brother Donald Points, and sister Peggy (Points) Mefferd. She is also survived by sisters Joan (Points) Breth, Vickie (Chevalier)Jordan, Toni (Chevalier) White, and brother Ray Points and also many cousins, nieces, nephews, step-grandchildren and step-great-grandchildren. 

Memorial Donations in lieu of flowers can be made to random senior citizens on the street. Hand them cash and say "Sharron sent me with this message; pay it forward when you can." It's what she would do. Seriously. Private Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.