Sharon Dee Holgate

Sharon Dee Johnson Holgate passed away surrounded by her loved ones on January 6, 2015 in Bakersfield, California at the age of 79.

Born and raised in Elsinore, Utah, the daughter of Chester Johnson and Mary Sevy Johnson, Sharon graduated from South Sevier High School in 1953, then attended Brigham Young University and College of Southern Utah, finishing her Bachelor of Arts in Education at Utah State University in 1956. She married Ronald Calvin Holgate of Monroe, Utah in 1958 in the Manti LDS Temple.

A devoted wife and mother of 4, Sharon served alongside her companion of 56 years in numerous leadership positions in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, primarily working with young women at both the ward and stake level. She and her husband were integral in the establishment of Big Meadow, a Young Women’s camp in the Sierra National Forest, and spent more than 2 decades building a successful program that influenced countless lives. She served 2 full-time missions with her husband, Ron, in the South Africa Durban Mission, and a CES mission in Canberra in the Australia South Mission. They also served as temple workers for 7 years in the Los Angeles Temple.
Her greatest joy was being an active participant in the lives of her posterity. Their home was a center of gospel learning and family gatherings. Her teaching reached far beyond her family to countless youth who also consider her their mother. Over 400 babies and their teenage mothers were served by Sharon’s establishment of the PACT Program in the Delano California High School District, where she helped pregnant minors finish their high school education and learn parenting skills.

She is preceded in death by her parents and her brother, John Johnson of Elsinore, her son, Kevin Holgate, and grandsons Clayton Holgate and Matthew Carter. She is survived by her husband, Ron, 3 daughters and their spouses, Merrilee and Alex Shafer, Marci and Gary Carter, and Michelle and Rick Lord, all of Bakersfield, California and daughter-in-law Kelli Holgate of Logan, Utah, sister Jerri Davis of Annabella, and brother Chet Johnson and his wife Patricia of Elsinore. Posterity include 25 grandchildren and 23 great-grandchildren. Her loving influence continues to be felt by her family and extends to many countries around the world.

Funeral services for Sharon Holgate will be held in Bakersfield, California and in Monroe, Utah.

In Bakersfield: Saturday, January 10th at the LDS A Street Building, 316 A Street (93304) a viewing will begin at 10:30 a.m. in the Relief Society Room. Funeral Services begin at 12 noon in the chapel.

In Utah: A memorial service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Monday, January 12, 2015 in the Central Valley 2nd LDS Ward Chapel, 65 North Main, Central Valley, Utah 84754, where friends may call on Monday to visit with the family from 12:00 noon to 12:45. Burial will follow services in the Monroe City Cemetery.