Sharon S. Strayhall, 66, of Shawnee, KS, passed away Tuesday, December 31, 2024. Visitation will be from 4:30-6:30 PM with the Rosary at 6:30 PM on Tuesday, January 7, 2024 at the Porter Funeral Home, 8535 Monrovia St., Lenexa, KS. Funeral Mass will be 10:30 AM Wednesday, January 8, at Queen of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church, 7023 West 71st Street, Overland Park, KS. Burial at Resurrection Cemetery in Lenexa.
Sharon was born September 24, 1958, in Kansas City, KS, to William and Mary Nancy (Cotitta) Palcher. For 23 years she worked in Food Service for the Shawnee Mission School District, until she retired from being the longtime Kitchen Manager at John Diemer Elementary. She was a member of Queen of the Holy Rosary parish in Overland Park, KS. She is survived by her husband Albert Strayhall; four children: Sara Strayhall, Rachel Strayhall-Turner (Kalen), Matthew Strayhall (Sarah), and Catherine Strayhall; three grandchildren: Nathan, Arthur, and Connor; siblings Bill Palcher, Tom Palcher, Nancy Cariglio, Joan Palcher, Gloria Davison, Mary Lynn Yeatman, Margaret Stump, and Rose Phillips, and many extended family and friends. She is preceded in death by her parents and her sister, Ann Kern.
Family always brought Sharon great joy. She and her husband, Al, were married for 40 years, and they raised their four children to deeply treasure time spent with family. She loved exploring Kansas City with her family. Together, they went to concerts, attended Slovenefest, visited gardens, and shopped at craft fairs. She supported her kids at poetry readings, photography shows, sporting events, awards assemblies, and of course, at their weddings.
Sharon cherished spending time with her three grandsons. She read books with them, played outside, and was always eager to babysit. She liked to think of little ways to make the holidays extra special for them. Spending time with them or even just looking at their many homemade cards would always brighten her day.
She enjoyed many girls nights with her daughters and her sister Annie, with themes ranging from crafting to movies to the Beatles. At family reunions and birthday and holiday celebrations, she loved spending time with her siblings and her large extended family.
No matter the teams’ records, Sharon was an avid Kansas City sports fan. She carried her transistor radio with her to listen to the Royals all season long, and she attended games with her family, sharing her love of the team with them. She got to attend several Royals playoff games and enjoy the World Series Championships and celebrations. With her family, she also enjoyed rooting for the Chiefs and having watch parties for the games.
Sharon loved cooking and baking, whether it was with her sisters and mother in their catering business, or with her kids and grandkids making Sunday meals or cookies for the holidays. Sharon baked desserts for the Queen’s Ladies group in her parish, and prepared casseroles for St. Mary’s Food Kitchen. For her children’s birthdays, she went out of her way to make special cakes, and she passed down her family’s recipes for everything from pie crust to spaghetti sauce.
Sharon also got to travel throughout the United States, recently fulfilling her goals of seeing the brilliant golden colors of the Colorado aspens, as well as visiting national parks in North and South Dakota. She loved visiting family in New Mexico and Arizona as well as taking road trips with Al and their kids. She and Al loved spending time in nature, and they picnicked every chance they got: in Alaska, at the Grand Canyon, or at Weston State Park in the fall.
In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes memorial contributions to Queen of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church and the Amy Krouse Rosenthal Foundation.