She had three sisters and two brothers, who grew up very poor although they did not know it, as everyone else around them was! Sharon attended Quapaw and Sunnyside Public Schools, and was raised in the nearby area all her unmarried life.
Sharon lived with her grandparents to finish her last year of school since her parents had moved to Kansas City, MO. Sharon loved the parties they would host, where she could have all the homemade ice cream and pop she wanted. Sharon loved her Grandma Nichols very much, always helping her with canning and cooking.
Sharon married John Vaughan on August 16, 1958, and together they moved east of Smithville, MO, and later to Nashua, MO. They bought their first house in Birmingham, MO and started their family there. Sharon was a stay-at-home mom to her three daughters, as well as babysat several children over the years.
Sharon was raised in the church, though John was not, as his family ran a dairy farm and his parents would not let him go. Together, they were regular attendants at various churches. At their church in Liberty, they were in the welcome center for several years before becoming Elders. In their 8 years serving as Elders, they visited and prayed with their congregation members at hospitals and nursing homes. During this time, Sharon became known as “the soup lady” for all the soups she made for the sick.
Sharon worked in the church nursery and later taught Sunday School, even having John drive the church bus to pick up the kids for class. One day, Sharon and John decided to bus a group of teenagers to Branson, MO for a day trip that they both will never forget. She also led a girl’s group called Missionettes.
When the kids were mostly grown, Sharon went to work at an in-store bakery, where she soon became the manager. She then managed several bakeries across Gladstone, Cameron, and Excelsior Springs, MO. In 1986, Sharon and John opened an auto repair shop in Lathrop, MO, where she worked as a secretary for the next 15 years. After the shop closed in 2000, they started farming. Sharon jumped in and worked long hours planting and picking produce, then selling at several farmers markets. After almost 10 years, they decided to retire on their 50th wedding anniversary.
In 2009, Sharon and John moved to Kearney, MO, and began attending Kearney First Baptist Church and are still there today, making new friends and loving the old ones.
Sharon is preceded in death by her parents, Ralph and Drucilla Goodwin; three sisters; one brother; and one great-grandson, Bradley Lanning.
Sharon is survived by her husband of 68 years, John; her daughters, Janice L. Dixon, Donna Sue Lance (Chuck), and Cynthia Elaine Miller (Lonnie); her brother, Johnny Goodwin; 7 grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be held at First Baptist Church, 303 S Grove St, Kearney, MO 64060, on October 20, 2026, at 10:00 am, followed by the Funeral Service at 11:00 am. Sharon will be laid to rest in White Chapel Cemetery.
