Sharon Lee (Keen) Ferris, 87, of Trenton, MO died December 9, 2022, at Wright Memorial Hospital in Trenton. Sharon, daughter of Churchill Loren and Hazel Orr Keen was born July 29, 1935, in Trenton. A memorial service will be at 2:00, Saturday, December 17, 2022, at Resthaven Mortuary of Trenton. Visitation will be from 1:00 until service time Saturday. Inurnment will follow in the Resthaven Memorial Gardens at Trenton.
Sharon was a graduate of Trenton High School (1953) and Trenton Junior College (1955). She married Joe Ferris in 1955 and they were the parents of daughters Lisa, Lori, and Jana.
Sharon began her career working for the Division of Family Services alongside her mother as a stenographer. She and Joe owned/operated many businesses beginning with Joe’s MFA, Joe’s Trucking Co., H & R Block (1965-1981), Ferris Bookkeeping, Best Abstract and Title Co., Missouri License Bureau, and J & S Hardware (1980-1981). After selling the H & R Block franchise, Sharon continued to operate a tax and bookkeeping business until finally retiring in 2021. She also went out of her way several times to help people with tax and other issues.
Sharon adored her four grandchildren and loved to travel to participate in their school activities. She inherited her “Keen” sense of humor from both her dad and mom and could often be found making people laugh and smile wherever she went and reveled in telling stories about her folks’ practical jokes. During the past several years, she enjoyed cheering on her beloved Chiefs once she found the right channel to watch them play.
Sharon often told of being one of two students in high school that had a car and the many trips a lot of them made to out-of-town football games in her dad’s coal trucks. She was an avid supporter of the alumni traditions in Trenton and never missed the chance to get together with high school classmates maintaining many friendships throughout the years.
Sharon loved to cook for large family gatherings and was never happier than when all the family was around to celebrate holidays, birthdays, and special occasions. Her homemade noodles were legendary! Although a city girl for 43 years, she considered herself a farm girl after moving in 1978 to Joe’s family property near Tindall. Since moving back to town in 2009 she was often heard talking about how much she missed her chickens and cows.
Sharon was a member of the Xi Alpha Xi chapter of Beta Sigma Phi, the Grundy County Democratic Women’s Club, and First Baptist Church, and volunteered for RSVP.
Sharon is survived by her daughters Lori (Joe) Wood, Jana (Nancy Albert) Ferris, son-in-law Robert Born, grandchildren Katie (Brad) Rickerson, Jessica (Jeffrey) Lasiter, Daniel (Jen) Born, Samantha (Russ) Francis, Keith O’Neal, and Corey (Nat) O’Neal and 20 great-grandchildren.
Sharon was preceded in death by her husband, Joe Ferris, daughter Lisa Born, parents Churchill and Hazel Keen, and sisters Carol Young and Sonna Winter.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital which may be left at the funeral home.
