Sharon Lee Maestas McPolin passed away peacefully surrounded by her loving family on November 17, 2023 at St. Mark’s Hospital in Millcreek, Utah. She was born on October 31,1944, to Abel and Mary Maestas in Salt Lake City, Utah. Her youth was spent in Rose Park with beloved siblings Tony, Gordon, Alice, and Dave. Sharon was educated in public schools there and graduated from West High School in 1963.
Sharon married the love of her life, Gerald Louis McPolin (Jerry) at the Cathedral of the Madeleine in Salt Lake on February 19, 1966. They shared 49 affectionate and devoted years of marriage together before his passing in 2015. We know Jerry was waiting with open arms in heaven to see her once again.
Her two children, she always felt, were the greatest gifts she ever received from God, and her finest accomplishment was the opportunity to love and nurture them. The arrival of their daughter Sheri Ann, whom the couple welcomed in 1969, and their son Daniel Patrick, who completed their family of four in 1971, brought joy, purpose and pride to their lives. Sharon never neglected a chance to proclaim the wonderful support both children have been throughout her life, and she was extremely proud of their accomplishments.
Sharon doted on her grandchildren Preston (McKenzie), Nova (Krystal), Maddison (Kevin), Vanessa, Chloee, Baron and Piper. She was absolutely delighted to be called “GG” by her great-granddaughter Ruby Grace. She loved to generate enthusiasm and positive encouragement for their interests and supported all of their activities. She loved hosting them for shared experiences like crafting projects, decorating special Spanish Christmas cookies, gingerbread house making, assembling care gifts for the homeless, and attending theater, ballet and concerts. She never missed an opportunity to share fun with them and tell them how special they are.
Sharon’s work life began before her children came along, when she was hired on with the Utah Department of Transportation. Here she met lifelong friends and began to hone her talent for friendly networking. After her children grew, she became a housewares sales representative, often doing cooking demonstrations to instruct consumers on how to create delicious meals with the latest and greatest kitchen tools. This job brought her in contact with numerous people in Utah’s culinary scene and helped expand her abilities as a great cook. In the late 1980s, she and Jerry became successful business owners by establishing McPolin Enterprises, representing numerous manufacturers of housewares and baby products. Together they traveled the western states, introducing and demonstrating a variety of items. They loved the yearly trade show in Las Vegas and their business connections with people in other states. Sharon’s natural ability to make friends instantly was a measure of her success. Her enthusiastic smile, optimism, and natural acceptance of every type of person was magnetic. She could carry on a fascinating conversation with anyone. She wasn’t shy about sharing every detail of her life or learning every detail of yours, quickly making other people feel important and praiseworthy. Using these skills, she even had the opportunity to visit Paris, France and Stockholm, Sweden as a reward for her excellent sales performance before her retirement in 2016.
Balancing work and play kept Sharon’s social calendar very full. She and Jerry loved occasions to relax, play cards and enjoy time with couples who were their longtime friends. In addition, Sharon was never without plenty of gal pals. They often rotated houses for hosting a night of laughter, card making or playing Bunco. Because her birthday is on Halloween, she looked forward to the annual witches’ party and her Halloween night pot of chili was a family favorite, and everyone was welcome to share it. These were people and occasions Sharon treasured.
Both Jerry and Sharon loved musical theater. Their all-time favorite musical was Man of La Mancha because Jerry was her personal Don Quixote and she was his lovely Dulcinea. They often bought season tickets to the best shows in Utah and generously shared any extra tickets with lucky family and friends.
As avid Utes fans, they bought annual season tickets and reveled in tailgating with family and friends, living it up with great eats before a rousing football game. Jerry’s roots in Park City provided another occasion for frolic at the annual pig roast held at the McPolin Barn and opportunities to ride in the Salt Lake St. Patrick’s Day parade. Sharon beamed with joy at every chance of good times with good people. She loved bringing people together and making fast friends along the way.
Sharon was devoted to her Catholic faith and was a longtime parishioner of St. Therese of the Child Jesus Catholic Church. She taught Catechism, led marriage encounters, supported Catholic Women’s League, acted as Eucharistic minister, and aided the fundraising committee for the building of the new church. She celebrated and uplifted the lives around her. Her circle of love expanded to include anyone who needed acknowledgement, a sense of belonging, and recognition of their importance. Although we feel an emptiness at her sudden loss, we will fill our hearts with the beautiful memories she left us to reflect upon in her absence.
Sharon was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Jerry, and her brother Tony. She is survived by her daughter Sheri (Oscar) McPolin-Becerril and her son Danny (LeeAnn) McPolin; her seven grandchildren; her great-grandchild; her siblings Gordon Maestas, Alice Maestas, Dave (Kathy) Maestas and her honorary little sister Anna (Kevin) Benedict. She was loved by many aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, extended family members, friends, and neighbors. She greatly loved each of them in return.
A celebration of life will be on Monday, November 27 from 6-8 PM at Starks Funeral Parlor, 3651 South 900 East, Millcreek. Guests are encouraged to use parking and entrance on the north side of the building. Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Tuesday, November 28 at 11 AM at St. Therese Of the Child Jesus Catholic Church, 7832 Allen St, Midvale. Sharon will be laid to rest following mass at Mt. Calvary Cemetery.
