Sharon Haggerty Anderson joyfully cultivated friendship and love her entire life. She was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother and respected church leader. She laughed a lot, spoke her mind, and lived by the Haggerty family motto, ‘Love is Life’.
Mary Sharon Sue Alice Pesch was born July 19, 1935, in Rochester, MN to Homer and Alice Pesch on the same day as her future husband, David ‘Dave’ Haggerty. At the hospital that day, Sharon’s father said to David’s father, “I’ve got a girl for your boy.” When Sharon turned seven, her mother Alice died. Homer married Edna Slowie when Sharon was thirteen. Sharon graduated from Lourdes High School in Rochester, MN and attended Marygrove College in Detroit, MI.
After Sharon and Dave Haggerty married in 1955, they headed to Seattle to pursue Dave’s career as a King County court reporter. By the time they settled in Bellevue in 1962, they had five children, and soon had their sixth. The couple built their family home of 50 years and were charter members of St. Louise Parish. Dave and Sharon created a household full of laughter, love and music. They were leaders in the parish and imparted in their children a sense of social justice.
Sharon was also active in the Association of Catholic Childhood, later serving as president of the local chapter. In 1968, she volunteered at and later became assistant director of Heads Up in Bellevue, now Youth Eastside Services (YES).
The family was devastated in 1973 when Dave died in a boating accident. To support her family, Sharon took a job with a law firm working on a class-action suit about overpricing of Tetracycline. Later she was assistant director of crime prevention for the Washington State Attorney General’s Office.
In 1983, she married Larry Anderson, a widower with four children, and they both retired within the year. Sharon and Larry were active at St. Louise Parish, helping lead ‘Renew’, RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults), ‘Forever Young’ and the planning of two parish milestone anniversary celebrations. Together, they traveled the world, including Antarctica. Sharon also achieved her goal of sleeping at least one night in each of the fifty states.
Sharon and Larry moved from their home in 2012 to the Gardens at Town Square in downtown Bellevue, where Sharon became known as the “Laughing Angel” for her caring ways. She lived her final years with dementia in her family’s loving care, and passed away peacefully at dawn on January 21, 2020.
In addition to David Haggerty, Sharon was preceded in death by Larry Anderson; two sisters, Marice Jones and Maralyn Swenson; and grandson Sky Lelo. She is survived by her children, Maureen (Tom Blum); Mary Beth (William Shaw); Kevin (Molly); Colleen (Mark Robinson); Matthew (Marc Stiles) and David (Meg); step-children Denise Anderson, Lily (Ken Paige) and Carl Anderson (Sally); 16 grandchildren and three great- grandchildren; sister-in-law Margaret (Peg) Haggerty and brothers-in-law Carl Mulvihill and Denis Haggerty (Cathy); numerous nephews and nieces and their descendants; and a multitude of friends.
A celebration of life mass will be at 11 a.m., Wednesday, Feb. 5, at St. Louise Catholic Church, 141 156th Ave. SE, Bellevue. Brightly colored clothing is encouraged.
Private inurnment will be at a later date.
Remembrances in Sharon’s memory may be made to YES (Youth Eastside Services) or Advocacy and Caring for Children (formerly Association of Catholic Childhood).
