Sharon Kay Payne Folland's Obituary
Sharon Kay (Payne) Folland passed away early Saturday morning, January 21, 2023 at the age of 72 in her brother’s home from metastatic (breast) cancer.
Sharon was born on May 6th, 1950 in Salt Lake City and was the second of five children to Noel Lee Payne & Geraldine Potts Payne. She is survived by her brothers: Myron Payne (Connie) and Jeffrey Payne (Linda). She was proceeded in death by her parents, her brother Gregg, and sister Kathy.
Sharon grew up in Kearns, Utah with her family. She developed a love for dance at a young age which continued through her high school & college years. She remembered her adolescence fondly. During her schooling, she developed lifelong friendships and an appreciation for learning. She graduated from Kearns High School (1968) and went on to further her education at Utah State University graduating in Business Education (1972). One summer in college, she took a bus across the country to spend time in Palmyra, NY to participate in the Hill Cumorah Pageant. Sharon always had a love for theater and music. She played soundtracks beginning in adolescence; this love continued throughout her life. She was a regular patron at Eccles Theater, Hale Centre Theater, the Utah Shakespearian Festival, Pickleville Playhouse, as well as others. If any of you know Alfie Bow, can you please ask if he is available to sing at her memorial?
Sharon loved children immensely and would have loved to have children of her own. To family and their friends, Sharon was known as “Aunt Sharon,” and it was a title she was proud of. Sharon loved her nieces and nephews. She adored babies and would hold them anytime she could. She was undoubtably the fun aunt. She was the aunt who came to your ball games, school programs, recitals, etc. The aunt who took you to Disneyland, Disney on Ice, the Circus, the Zoo, Monster Trucks, Hockey games, Bees games, Jazz games, Lagoon, and countless Relay for Life and Race for the Cure events. She was the aunt that took you to Artic Circle just to get a bunny at Easter and to the mall to sit on Santa’s lap at Christmas. She probably holds a record for purchasing more bubbles than anyone can count throughout her lifetime. She never missed a holiday, family gathering, or birthday. If a family went on vacation, Aunt Sharon came too. It was common to see her there on Christmas morning.
Aunt Sharon was a constant in her nieces and nephews’ lives. Even as they grew older, she still acknowledged every birthday and Christmas, for not only each of them, but also their spouses. Great Aunt Sharon was no exception, and she adored every grand niece and nephew. She loved going to all the baby showers and birthday parties. The fun continued with trips to the aquarium, Thanksgiving Point, and Disney on Ice. She loved each one, supporting them with birthday gifts and quality time. Sharon was assuredly the greatest aunt and great aunt anyone could ask for.
Sharon’s love for education and children guided her to a career in teaching. She taught for 42 years and loved her students and fellow teachers. The number of lives she touched for good are innumerable. Her first teaching was at a High School in Cardston, Alberta, Canada. After a couple years there, she moved back to Utah to finish out her career. She taught Business Education and Type/Keyboarding at Kennedy Jr. High, Kearns Jr. High, and Eisenhower Jr. High School. In 2004, she was also able to take a trip to China to teach English for the summer.
Sharon was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Although she served in a variety of callings and served in the temple, it will come as no surprise, her favorite calling was a primary teacher. She recognized the importance of her calling and the value of serving children. “Lead me, guide me, walk beside me” were deeply felt by those she taught. She also knew other ways to reach those sweet, little hearts and unquestionably there was always a treat to go along with each lesson.
Sharon had a joy for holidays. There was no such thing as too many decorations, seasonal sweaters, crafts, and holiday jewelry. If there was a reason to celebrate, Sharon knew how to go all in. She was never one to answer the phone, but it wouldn’t be part of contacting Sharon if you didn’t get to listen to a cheery, holiday greeting in verse before leaving a message, usually from the month before, because timeliness was never her thing either. She was well known for, “Always late, but worth the wait,” which she had as her license plate frame for years and pretty much lived by.
Sharon was a cancer survivor and research advocate. Her interest in breast cancer began with her family. Her mother, Geraldine, was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 38 and died at age 43 (1971). Four of her mother’s sisters had also been diagnosed and died from breast cancer at young ages (30-55). Sharon's brother, Gregg, died from Hodgkin’s Lymphoma at age 22 (1974). Her family was one of the first five breast cancer families chosen to be studied through the genealogy records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Sharon was diagnosed with breast cancer for the first time at age 35 (1986). She became active in the breast cancer community in 1991. She joined the Huntsman High Risk Breast Cancer Clinic in 1995 and found out that she had a deleterious mutation in BRCA2. She was diagnosed with a second breast cancer at age 64 (2014). She also had been diagnosed with a Melanoma in situ (2022). And again, in December of 2022 with Metastatic (Breast) Cancer when she ultimately lost her battle with cancer.
Throughout her life, she enjoyed being able to participate in scientific research, which has come far enough to help other breast cancer survivors with a BRCA1/2 mutation. Sharon thrived in volunteering, supporting nonprofit organizations, community outreach, and personal support. She has taken part in the National Breast Cancer Coalition from 1992-2002 and served as Team Leader and State Coordinator. She was a volunteer with the American Cancer Society’s Reach to Recovery program and has served as co-chair and coordinator of the Reach to Recovery program in Utah. She served as a Community Ambassador for the ACS Celebration on the Hill in Washington DC in September of 2002. She worked as a consumer advocate for the Komen Nation Grant Committee and was also involved with Peer Navigator at FORCE Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered, an Advocate in Science at Susan G. Komen, a Women's Cancers Advocates for Huntsman Cancer Institute, and part of the AACR Scientist-Survivor program in 2022, as well as many others. She also worked with scientists to give the patient perspective in reviewing and acting as an advocate on many specific research proposals. She took many opportunities to serve in different organizations and attend conferences, increasing her scientific knowledge, and dedicating much of her life to cancer research. She was grateful to have been granted the opportunity to serve as an ambassador, reviewer, and outreach volunteer through the years. She was a passionate advocate.
Sharon's wish and hope is that survivors will keep supporting and participating in research so that there are more survivors with better quality of life. Throughout all these years, Sharon developed great relationships
with so many wonderful men and women who have fought cancer. She gave others so much hope and she was an amazing warrior.
She will forever be remembered by her nieces and nephews: Aaron Payne (Angie), Zach Payne (Duli), Seth Payne (Kim), Jason Payne (Teresa), Sarah Halterman (Dan), Katie Lebbon (Justin), Brady Payne (Miah), and Jordan Payne (Taylor). And her grand-nieces and nephews: Morgen (Dustin), Greg (Scarlet), Chloe, Kiana, Kambrie, Ean, Alex, Dax, Dylan, Blake, Natalie, Alice, Megan, Audrey, Dean, Reed, Mally, Navy, Oakin, and Tayten.
Services will be held at the LDS Chapel located at 1208 West 12400 South in Riverton, UT on February 11th at 10:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made, in her remembrance, to The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc.
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