Sharel Reber Johnson
February 12, 1954 - May 30, 2020
Our cherished mom, wife, and grandma returned peacefully to her Heavenly Father on Saturday, May 30, 2020, surrounded by her loving and devoted family, after a determined battle with cancer.
Sharel was born in Cardston, Alberta, Canada on February 12, 1954. She was the fourth of five children born to Chase and Roumelia Smith and grew up in the small farming community of Hartleyville. Growing up on the farm, she learned the value of hard work at an early age. She also gained an appreciation for her Canadian heritage and was proud to be a Canuck.
Sharel was a lifelong learner and deeply valued education. After graduating from Cardston High School in 1971, she left Canada to attend BYU in Provo, Utah. There, she met Fay Reber, and they were later married in the Cardston, Alberta Temple in 1974. After graduating summa cum laude from BYU with a B.S. in Social Work in 1975, she and Fay were accepted to J. Reuben Clark School of Law, which they attended together until Sharel gave birth to their first daughter, Allison.
In 1979, a second daughter, Erica, was born, and the family moved to St. George Utah, where Fay joined a local law firm. The family was joined by a third daughter, Kristen, in 1982. Sharel loved being a stay-at-home mom, sewing Christmas dresses for her girls, baking treats, working on countless school projects, and helping with classroom parties and other activities. She was also active in community affairs and helped organize the St. George Arts Festival.
After a divorce in 1994, Sharel returned to Provo to finish her law degree, graduating cum laude in 1997 with a Juris Doctorate degree. Upon admission to the Utah State Bar Association, Sharel joined the Utah Attorney General’s Office where she worked as an Assistant Attorney General for twenty years, retiring as State Agency Council for the Office and Department of Corrections in 2016. Her work as an attorney in the criminal justice system enabled her to seek justice and protection for the most vulnerable members of society, especially children. She was recognized as Attorney of the Year in 2015 and was known as a mentor to those in her workplace, both professionally and personally.
Sharel had unwavering faith and was a lifelong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where she served in various capacities including Relief Society President, Young Women’s President and Gospel Doctrine teacher. She especially loved working with the youth, touching many lives with her kindness and tolerance and always reaching out to anyone in need.
In 2006, Sharel married Van Johnson in the Bountiful Temple. They established a home in Sandy and then later resettled in Murray in 2013. Van’s passion for travel rubbed off on Sharel, and they traveled the world together, including one memorable trip to Germany where Sharel took full advantage of no speed limit on the autobahn.
She also kept an impeccable home and had a knack for décor and design. Shopping was her “sport” and she knew the aisles of TJ Maxx like the back of her hand. Decorating for holidays was a favorite pastime. Her grandkids gleefully counted the many Santa Claus’s, nativities, pilgrims, and witches that adorned her home during various holidays. Christmas was mom’s favorite holiday.
Sharel adored her grandchildren and doted on them endlessly. She also embraced her daughters’ husbands and loved them like her own sons. She was always supportive and welcoming to extended family. She showed her love through cooking and baking. It was her way to bring people together. She made countless Sunday dinners for family, friends, and neighbors, and she was always testing new recipes on family and friends alike.
Sharel was diagnosed with stage 4 bladder cancer in 2010 and showed endless bravery, courage and grace in the face of adversity. She refused to give in to her disease and with grit, tenacity and determination, underwent numerous surgeries plus many rounds of radiation and chemotherapy. And, as a result, she brought to her family countless hours of happiness and joy that they would not have otherwise had.
Most of all, Sharel loved her children fiercely. She was their biggest cheerleader, most treasured friend, and their role model. She taught by example the meaning of sacrifice, leadership, integrity and achievement. She told her girls that they could do or be anything they wanted, and then she showed them how to do it. Words cannot express how much she’ll be missed.
Mom, we “love you to the moon and back.”
Sharel leaves behind her husband Van Johnson; daughters Allison (Jesse) Steele, Erica (Jeremy) Richards, Kristen (Jason) Romero; brothers Victor (Sharon) Smith, Art Smith, and Richard (Sherry) Smith and cherished grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her sister Connie Nuttall, mother Roumelia Smith, father Chase Smith and granddaughters Marley and Macey Richards.
Our family would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to Huntsman Cancer Center and their team of care providers, including Dr. Tward, Dr. Gupta, and Dr. Hardman. The tender kindness extended to Sharel and her family by nurses Brittany, Bre, Alexis, Kat, and others from Hunstman at Home and Hospice services will not be forgotten.
Friends are invited to visit with her family on Wednesday, June 3, 2020 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Starks Funeral Parlor, 3651 South 900 East, Salt Lake City. To ensure compliance with current social distancing guidelines, we kindly ask that you call the funeral parlor at (801) 474-9119 to make a reservation for the time that you wish to attend (masks are encouraged). She will be laid to rest in a private family ceremony at Memorial Holladay Cemetery.
In Loving Memory
My heart was so saddened as I learned of Sharel’s passing today. I want you to know how much I loved her and what a positive influence she was in my life, especially the way she taught me to serve and love others. She was my role model and I loved getting to serve in Young Women’s with her. She has and always will be an eternal friend. I have no doubt God will greet her with loving arms and will openly declare...”Well done thou good and faithful servant.”
Our thoughts and prayers are with you all at this time of tremendous loss; what a marvelous being and example Sharel has been throughout her short and impressive life!! The love and respect she gave to all people is a true testament to her faith and life she lived by example! Always looking like a million bucks and such a warm, loving smile, Sharel will be missed greatly by family, friends, and those that had the fortunate opportunity to know her. Rest In Peace beautiful lady, thank you for being such a loving person and a dotting mother and grandmother!! Rory and Marilee
Our deep condolences to Sharel’s family, and Van. Love, peace, and blessings!!! Sharel was a warrior! Amazing strong woman. She will be missed but never forgotten. Her spirit will always be near! Michael and I will always remember the good times we had in Bali, Indonesia with Sharel and the family at Allison and Jesse’s wedding. Good memories!!! We love you Sharel, God bless til we meet again!!! ❤️❤️ Sincerely with love, Linda Steele and Michael Ricks.
My heart is with the family at this difficult time of loss. I have watched and listened to Jesse (my brother) and Allison tell Sharels journey of love, hope, courage, and strength. She is a warrior. I admire the woman she is. Her strength is inspiring, and I know she will be truly missed. God Bless. Love Always, Aja Steele, Brandon Combs & family.
I worked with Sharel for many years in the AG office. See was simply one of the best employees I ever worked with. She was also one of the best people I knew. It was always a joy to stop by her office to just chat and talk about travel. I am so sorry for your loss but please know she was loved by all.
I am so sorry to hear of the passing of this amazing lady! Sharel was the YW’s President in our Sandy ward and I was one of her advisors. She definitely led by example and love! She touched the lives of many of those young girls as well as the other leaders. I have always wanted to visit Canada after hearing her talk about it. She was one of the great ones and will be sorely missed. Love and prayers to her family.
To Sharel's daughters and husband, Please accept my deepest sympathy for the passing of your lovely mother and wife. Sharel was my law clerk when I joined the Attorney General's office and then became my colleague. She was a lovely person, consummate professional and wonderful role model. I am so sorry for your loss.
Thank you for sharing your mom with us. She was my mentor when I was a new lawyer and I will be forever indebted to her for the things she taught me. Whenever I had a question, she never hesitated to stop what she was working on to take time to talk with me. We also had a lot of fun going to court, seminars, and even Costco! I loved hearing about you girls and your spouses, jobs, and children. You were always the center of her world. Despite the cancer and the chemo and the surgeries, Sharel never looked less than immaculate at work. She was such a great example for the rest of us! I will bake a special pineapple cake in her honor. I will miss her. Hugs to you all.
I worked with Sharel at the AG's office. I admired her tenacity representing corrections and yet she was always kind and a lady. All the staff loved and admired her. Please take comfort in your wonderful memories, heaven has gained an angel.
It’s with a sad heart that I read the news about the mother of one of my elementary students, Kristen Reber. Kristen was such a high class student at such a young age. Kristen displayed high values and character that she was taught at home. I remember visiting with her mother occasionally at parent teacher conferences and I could tell Kristen carried the same mannerisms and compassion as her mother dear. It’s been such a long time since I’ve seen this family, but they are one that I will never forget. I’m so sorry to hear this news. I pray our dear Heavenly Father carries you daily through this sad time. With love, Miss Milne
To a life well lived and to a wonderful woman well loved. Thank you to her family for sharing the photos, music and tribute that showed Sharel's love of her friends and family, her dignity and integrity, her undeniable spirit, her warmth and compassion and her joy. She is a shining example of courage and heart and as one of the songs in the tribute said, "Hallelujah". You kept your wings hidden while here, now it's time for you to soar the heavens ❤. You are dearly missed!
So sorry to hear of the passing of Sharel. She was the first person I met when I moved into the Hillcrest 9th ward. She was so kind to sit with me and make me feel welcome. Pray for peace and comfort for Van and her children and grandchildren.
Dear Johnson family, We were so sorry to hear about the passing of Sharel. When Sharel lived in St. George with her young family, some of our children took piano lessons from her. They loved Sharel. She was always so kind, often sharing her delicious special cake mix cookies with them. Her recitals were well-organized with very prepared students. She had a gift for making every student feel special. Even though many years have passed since this time, our children still have wonderful memories of the time they spent taking piano from Sharel. Our thoughts, love, and prayers are with you at this difficult time. Love, Colleen (and Lee) Fife
In Loving Memory
