Among those preceding her in death are her loving parents, Harold Tagg and Anna Gatewood Tagg; her husband, Charles Kevin Mayfield; her grandson Oliver Kurt McNutt; and the thousands of souls she guided to heaven in her calling as nurse and advocate for the aging.
Sharon’s life’s work was to heal, to provide care, and to practice true compassion for the limitations and frailties of the human condition. She graduated from Ohio Valley Hospital School of Nursing and earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from West Liberty University, after which she treated infants for many years in a NICU, taught nursing school, contributed to HIV studies and flu vaccine studies at Marshall University, and served as a pediatric advice nurse.
These opportunities inspired Sharon’s vision to create a loving, warm and unique experience of senior care in The Little Flower Assisted Living Facility in Mint Hill, NC. It was at “The Flower” that residents came to enjoy the final years of their lives, where they could age and die with dignity, and where their families could know their loved ones were truly cared for. It was also where countless young nurses learned the distinction between nursing as a job, and nursing as a calling. Sharon was a no-nonsense mentor who taught that the essence of the profession was balancing caring, love and connection with skill, good judgment and knowledge. After leaving The Little Flower, she continued this work by bringing the Seniors Helping Seniors franchise to Charlotte.
Sharon Mayfield was a role model and a mercy-giver. She was also no stranger to tough love or the truth. She was a take-charge advocate for patients, for the underprivileged, families in crisis or those who just needed a second chance. She is lovingly remembered as a Girl Scout troop leader who taught handfuls of young girls how to camp and cook over a campfire.
A devoted Catholic, Sharon was at various times a member of Saint John Neumann, our Lady of the Assumption, and Saint Luke's parish. She worked as Sacrament Coordinator in the religious education department at Saint John Neumann Catholic Church, planned retreats for children making their first Holy Communion, developed creative vacation bible school programs, taught religious education classes, led children's liturgy of the word, and ran ministries for the elderly.
But perhaps her greatest legacy is that of her children and grandchildren. Despite long hours and a nurse’s paycheck, she drove her children across town to attend magnet schools. She went to every football game and competition to watch her daughter perform in color guard. And later, she would live each day just to see her grandchildren. She took them to work with her, on countless vacations, and taught them how to cook, scrapbook, and visit museums to “broaden their horizons,” She gave everything she had - especially her attention and her time - to those she loved. She is survived by her daughters, Jennifer Loveless and Melissa Mayfield; and grandchildren Jessica Mayfield-Loomis, Anyanna Mayfield-Loomis, Eleanor Loveless, Eli Loveless, and Jordan Hart.
Sharon Mayfield was a paradox: a tough cookie who didn’t mince words, but who loved mightily and could be counted on for anything. She tended to live conservatively but splurged occasionally to enjoy life to the fullest. She could be in the same moment funny and gravely serious. She lived this life “down to earth” but her heart was truly centered in heaven. And, she brought out the strength in people while helping them find their own heart. May God welcome his angel home.
Memorial gifts may be made to Hospice and Palliative Care Charlotte Region Levine and Dickson Hospice House at Southminster.
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