Sherilee Bond Alford Obituary (1959

It is with tender hearts that we announce Sherilee Bond Alford, 63, wonderful daughter, wife, mother, and grandmother graduated from mortality on Friday, July 8, 2022, at home surrounded by her family and friends. Sherilee, the fifth of six children, was born into a loving and supportive family on June 9, 1959, in Ogden, Utah, to Dean W and LaBelle Pace Bond. She had a wonderful childhood and enjoyed lifelong friendships. She married Ken Alford in the Salt Lake Temple on April 26, 1979, and they began serving as an active-duty Army family. Sherilee was the perfect military spouse. During the next thirty years, her family thrived in Indiana, West Germany, back to Indiana, Illinois, New York, northern Virginia, Kansas, back to Virginia, back to New York, and back to Virginia for a third time, with four wonderful children joining them along the way. She moved to Springville, Utah in 2008 when Ken retired from the Army and started teaching at Brigham Young University. She returned to BYU as a student and graduated in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree, appropriately, in Family Life. Sherilee was a faithful, active, and life-long member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Blessed with a wide assortment of musical gifts, she served as the Church organist or pianist everywhere she lived. She also served in numerous Relief Society, Primary, and Young Women presidencies, taught Early Morning Seminary in two states, and served in numerous additional Church callings. Her favorite Church service was as a temple worker and shift coordinator in the Provo City Center Temple. Always a kind and loving peacemaker, Sherilee shared her numerous talents with everyone around her. She was an expert baker and chef, an award-winning quilter, a ringer in the Utah Valley Handbell Choir, a member of the Mormon Choir of Washington (now known as the Washington DC Temple Choir), and easily the world’s best grandma who was always available to love and cherish each of her grandchildren individually. The numerous quilts, embroidered towels and shirts, stuffed animals, library bags, crafts, and specialty birthday cakes she made were additional physical reminders of her love. There was nothing she treasured more than being with her family. The biennial family reunions she orchestrated were treasured events. Said quite simply, everyone who met Sherilee loved her and loved to be with her. She was without guile and genuinely loved serving others. From an early age, her children lovingly referred to her as Mary Poppins because they recognized she was “practically perfect in every way.” She has been valiantly fighting neuroendocrine and breast cancers for the past twelve-and-a-half years. She quietly endured ten surgeries and countless medical procedures and radiation treatments—without uttering a word of complaint or self-pity. Her family would like to express their sincere gratitude to the many people who have shared this journey with them and have been so generous and supportive, including the doctors, surgeons, specialists, nurses, and other professional staff who so willingly contributed their skills and expertise throughout her treatments. Sherilee is survived by Kenneth Lowell Alford, her husband of forty-three years, who absolutely adored her; their four children: Suzanne (Kendall) Sawyer, Marie (David) Hinckley, Christine (Jeff) Anderson, and Kenneth Grant (Rachel) Alford; and eighteen grandchildren: Adriana (17), Evelyn (16), Miriam (14), Edison (13), Darren (12), Grant (11), Cosette (11), Anna (9), Kenny (9), Clara (9), Heidi (7), Reed (7), Lydia (6), Becca (5), Adelaide (4), Henry (3), Grace (3), and Emaline (1). She was preceded in death by her mother, father, and son-in-law, Kendall Sawyer. Heaven has become more heavenly now that she is there. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, July 16, 2022 at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Hunter Valley Chapel, 950 South 1700 East, Springville, Utah. Friends may call at the Berg Mortuary of Provo, 185 East Center Street, Friday, July 15 from 6-8:00 p.m. and at the church Saturday from 9:30-10:45 a.m. prior to services. Interment, Springville Evergreen Cemetery. The funeral service will also be streamed over Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/92255161961 In lieu of flowers, friends and family are invited to contribute to the Humanitarian Fund of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (https://philanthropies.churchofjesuschrist.org/humanitarian-services). Condolences may be expressed at www.bergmortuary.com.