SHARON EILEEN BROUGHTON
August 10, 1937 ~ May 3, 2012

 Sharon Eileen Broughton, 74 of Menahga, Minnesota passed away peacefully on the morning of Thursday, May 3, 2012 at Essentia Health Saint Mary’s Hospital in Detroit Lakes with her son and grandson by her side. She is preceded in death by her mother Rosa Lee Eleander Ross, her father Harvey Sherman Ross, her sister Sheila Evelyn Estes and her son Arthur Davis Broughton. Sharon was born at home on August 10, 1937 in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. She graduated from Lawrenceburg High School where she was a member of the band and the Girls Athletic Association. She married Donald Lee Broughton in 1957 and they recently celebrated their fifty fifth wedding anniversary. Sharon enjoyed a career in retail management with Sears Roebuck and Company where she worked hard to support her family. She was an accomplished Pekinese show dog handler and breeder who received numerous awards. She also had a short and enjoyable career as a lounge singer who used the stage name Elvira. Sharon moved from Cincinnati, Ohio to Menahga in 1994 to enjoy her retirement with her husband on the tranquil peninsula that runs between the Shell River and Lower Twin Lake.
She is survived by her husband; brothers William Brooks Ross of Milwaukee, WI, Robert Raymond Ross of Sarasota, FL, Harvey Sherman Ross II of Cedar Rapids, IA; her sisters Shirley Elizabeth Fieler of Lakeland, FL, Susan Elaine Smith of Camano Island, WA; her daughter-in-law Kelly Broughton of Athens, OH; her daughter Margaret Elizabeth Watson of Whitley City, Kentucky; her son and daughter-in-law Donald (Louie) and Cindy Broughton of Baton Rouge, LA; eleven grandchildren Joseph Broughton, Arthur Davis (Spanky) Anthony Broughton, Rosa Lee Diane Davis, Joshua Lee Davis, Christina Anne Stanzak, Jonathan Daniel Stanzak, Katherine Mae Broughton, Rachel Eileen Broughton, Margaret Ann (Maggie) Broughton, Jessada (Jess) Paeratakul, Chalinee Paeratakul; two great-grandchildren Shyla Hayden, Donovan Mildly Kellum; and her beloved cat Zana.
Sharon loved and cared for many pets through the years including Skipper, Tiny, Suzie, Hepsie, Scamp, Archie, Reggie, Deuteronomy, Ezra, Shakespeare, Shy, Sicily, Sydney, Molly, Jaybird, Ripken, Thunder, Sally, Alex, Russell, Mylar, Shubee, Zane, and Stephanie. She also nursed back to health many of God’s creatures including wild birds, raccoons, squirrels, and possums. She was a member of the Menahga United Methodist Church, Menahga United Methodist Women, Thimbleberries, Park Rapids Library Book Club, and the Twin Lake Association. She was a woman who valued faith, family, and her freedom. She enjoyed reading, sewing, and the company of her family and friends. She loved, tried to help, and touched many lives too numerous to mention but you know who you are. A private memorial service will be held in her honor.