Sharon Gayle McLawhorn

After a long struggle with cancer, Sharon Gayle McLawhorn passed away on May 2, 2024 at the age of 77. She is preceded in death by her parents, Eldie and Mary Godfrey. 

Sharon was a wonderful daughter, mother, wife, grandmother, and great grandmother, who also had many friends that she cherished dearly. 

She graduated from Lawton High School in 1964. Post-grad, she took computer courses at Cameron University in Lawton, OK. She got a job at Fort Sill, OK in the Supply Division before moving to Fort Gregg-Adams, formerly known as Fort Lee, in Virginia, where she worked in the software development center. Sharon eventually retired in November 1998 as the Supervisory Logistics Management Specialist. 

She had two children with her first husband, Larry J. Nottingham: son, Larry D. Nottingham in 1966 and daughter, Lorri Nottingham Tuggle in 1967. In 1983, Sharon married the love of her life, Kenneth McLawhorn, and the two were together until his death in February 1999. Sharon and Ken were granted custody and raised two adopted grandchildren, Shanna Preece Shaeffer (born 1987) and Tyler Preece (born 1988). Sharon also had one great-grandchild, Ellie Shaeffer. 

Sharon was a woman of many hobbies, including cooking, gardening, crafting, and canning, to name a few. She was described as having “the best green thumb in Prince George”, with a yard that “came straight out of a magazine.” She took pride in her landscaping, as well as the people who were part of her life. She will be dearly missed by those who loved her very much. 

Interment will be private. Funeral arrangements are being handled by the Colonial Heights Chapel of E. Alvin Small Funeral Homes and Crematory, 2033 Boulevard. Online condolences may be registered at www.ealvinsmall.com