Sharon Leila Branch Larsen

Sharon Leila Branch Larsen, age 84, most recently of Nampa, Idaho, passed away peacefully on June 24th, 2026.

Sharon was born on June 5th, 1942, in Safford, AZ, to Arland Platt Branch and Leila (Ferrin) Branch. After spending most of her childhood in Mesa, AZ, she graduated from Arizona State University and went on to teach kindergarten in Pasadena, CA, where she met her husband, Alvin Henry Larsen. They married on August 20th, 1966, in Mesa, AZ, and together they raised six children in a home filled with music, laughter and love.

The majority of her life was spent in St. Louis, MO, where she frolicked her way through life with a zest and whimsy rarely found among mere mortals. She could be found cruising the streets of downtown St. Louis in a limo with the other Prom Moms or sneaking into Venture just a few minutes before closing. She was a getaway driver for her kids when they wanted to TP someone’s house, and she was a fierce advocate for anyone under her care.

Besides her family, Sharon's greatest love was her Savior, Jesus Christ. She loved His gospel with all her heart and spent her life trying to become a little more like Him every day. She had a quiet way of serving, loving, forgiving, and lifting others that made heaven seem just a little closer wherever she happened to be.

If you ever met Sharon, chances are you walked away feeling a little better about yourself. She had an almost magical ability to make every person feel seen, valued, and like they were the most interesting person in the room. She could find the good in anyone—and somehow help them see it too. It's one of the many reasons she was loved by just about everyone lucky enough to cross her path.

After the death of her husband in 2004, she made her way to Idaho to be closer to her ever-expanding menagerie of offspring.

She is survived by her six children and their spouses: Reed (Lori) Larsen, Adrian (Tausha) Larsen, Cherry Ann (Phillip) Redd, Kimball (Christine) Larsen, Cameron (Annette) Larsen, and Katrina (Blair) Larsen. She is the grandmother (and Grand Poo-Bah) of twenty-six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren (with two more on the way). She is also survived by her brother, Kerry (Sherry) Branch.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Alvin, her parents, Arland and Leila, and her brothers, Dan (Cherry) Branch and Steve Branch.

No doubt her reunion in Heaven was one for the ages, but down here among the mortals, she leaves behind a Sharon-shaped hole that simply can't be filled. She will be dearly missed by everyone who had the joy of knowing her.

Her children trust she’s riding a carousel horse through the streets of heaven and has a tuna sandwich and an overripe banana in her purse, just in case.

Information about a memorial to be held in her honor in September can be found at SharonLarsen.com