Sharon Ruth Nielsen Tangaro

Sharon Ruth Nielsen Tangaro
"Rudy"
We lost our loving wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother on May 5, 2016.
Sharon was born in Salt Lake City, Utah on April 24, 1952 to Jack and Josephine Nielsen. She was lucky number five of eight children. In Junior High she took her chances at her 6th grade raffle for one week of free accordion lessons. She developed a love for the accordion and inherited one from her grandfather. She attended Hillcrest High School where her love of fashion was sparked. Sharon was a very skilled seamstress and made a lot of her own clothes; a trait she learned from her mother. Having eight children may have caused an economic burden on the Nielsen clan, but they were rich in love, learned the value of family first, hard work, and good manners.
This was evident as she relied greatly on her family when she became a young mother. Her bond with her sisters grew as they helped raise her son Rick when she had to work to support her small family. Her sisters were her best friends and they enjoyed many long nights playing spades and monopoly and she was reportedly unbeatable. Her sisters revealed some unknown facts; she used soup cans as hair rollers and would buy trendy exercise equipment, which included a blow up sweat suit she wore for hours.
Sharon met the love of her life and best friend, David while working at the Black Bull. They dated for four years, married in 1977, and bought their first home in Midvale. They loved traveling, going to dinner, and dancing the night away. They added two daughters to their family of three. Sharon was a devoted, fun, and hard working mother. She always had her children on the forefront on her mind. She sacrificed many things sending them to private school and involving them in several activities.
She loved decorating and celebrating the holidays and looked forward to making her daughters coordinating Christmas dresses and Halloween costumes. Sharon was thrilled to take her girls on the biggest roller coaster rides and camping trips. There were Friday mother-daughter date nights with her sister and niece that involved local sight-seeing, dinner at the Pagoda, and usually concluded with a big piece of mud pie. Her nurturing instincts returned with the arrival of her first grandchild and continued with the second. She loved her granddaughters dearly, spoke of them often, and couldn't wait for the next visit. Sharon adored her two Shih Tzu's, Baxter and Sophie.
She enjoyed being outdoors and loved working in her yard. She was an avid listener of music; especially R&B and often played the same song over and over. Don't bother calling during the Ellen show or The Big Bang Theory. You could get a glimpse into her phone conversations based on her notepads and doodling. She liked to share and discuss new recipes even though she would never put them use.
Sharon was beautiful, modest, admired, compassionate, fashionable, supportive, determined, and strong willed. We will sorely miss her companionship, early morning phone calls, and her unique vocabulary which we've coined "Sharonese" that led to many belly laughs. We will cherish and hold on to her memory forever. Rest peacefully in your paradise, enjoy the fresh air, say "hi" to Baxter, and be our guardian angel.
She leaves behind her husband of 38 years; children Rick, Natalie (Dylan), Christen (James); granddaughters Ariyana, Talisa; great-granddaughters Alayna and Penelope; parents; siblings JoAnn, Kenny, Jane, Dick, Etzy, Cindy, Tammy; brother-in-law Sonny Tangaro (Kathy), and many extended family members. We would like to extend a special thanks and our gratitude to all the staff at St. Mark's Hospital and CNS Hospice for their compassionate care.
Friends are invited to celebrate Sharon's life with her family on Thursday May 12, 2016 from 6:00 until 8:00 PM at Starks Funeral Parlor, 3651 South 900 East, Salt Lake City, UT. Please use the complimentary valet parking provided on the north side of the building. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to a charity of your choice in Sharon's honor.