Alfreda “SHARON” Cotton

“A daily thought, a silent tear. Our lovely memories will keep you near.”

Sharon passed away peacefully in the care of Leighton Hospital on Thursday 27th January 2022 aged 69 years surrounded by her family.

The Beloved Wife of John, Much Loved Mum to Rachel & Rich. Also a Cherished NONNIE & Auntie.

Her funeral took place on Friday 11th February 2022 at Crewe Crematorium Chapel at 1pm.

Kind donations are going to St Luke’s Hospice & Pancreatic Cancer UK.

For further information and to offer your condolences, please telephone our Funeral Home on 01270 58444

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Sharon and her husband John have been soulmates since the day they met. She is
and always will be his gorgeous, loving wife, and no doubt about it, she put up with a
lot! She was a widow to golf, refereeing, football and cricket and she made it quite
clear, “if you think I am going to make cricket teas, like your mum did with you,
you’ve another think coming!”
John lovingly smiled as he reminisced, “she was selfless and innocent, the sweetest,
loveliest girl I have ever met.” He totally adored her, and they almost achieved their
fiftieth wedding anniversary. They married on 30 th September the day after Sharon’s
twentieth birthday and this year would have been her seventieth, she never looked
her age.
Rachel and Richard have precious memories of the time they had with their amazing
mum. They said she always understood and supported them without question. She
would happily give them the last fiver in her purse if they needed it.
And Rachel poignantly said, if I could be half the mother, she was to us, I would be
happy with that, she was the best. Richard lovingly said he was the last child, and
nonchalantly said, “you can’t improve on perfection!”
Sharon was fond of Richard’s partner Hannah and between Rachel and Richard,
Nonnie was blessed with five grandchildren, Eliot, Eve, Ella, Ted and Hannah’s
daughter Ruby who she treated as one of her own. She cherished each and every
one of them. They all attended pre-school at Wheelock Sharon was subsequently
asked to help out with the kids at lunch club. Despite the million and one things she
had to occupy her time, she did assist, and when she waved that magic wand of
gentle authority, all the kids did as they were told!
If Sharon was your friend, you were truly lucky, she was loyal, considerate,
dependable and had a cracking sense of humour, fun to be with – especially at line
dancing.
No one ever had a bad word to say about Sharon, she was a kind, caring beautiful
soul with such a giving nature.
Just two weeks before she died, she was in hospital, but she still refused to be
consumed with self-pity, she befriended a trainee nurse, and wrote down lots of
useful tips.
When she worked on the ward, she was known as ‘mother!’, her Macmillan Nurse
Leslie benefited from Sharon’s inspiring knowledge when she was lucky enough to
have Sharon as her mentor.
Sharon had many good friends, Pam and her late husband Dave, Wendy and
Lindsay, nice neighbours, Irene, John, Sue, Glyn, Ton, Joan, Harold, Alison,
Richard, Julia, Cathy, Gaz and Jenny and she had four springer spaniels, the latest
being Daisy otherwise known as piddle pants – Sharon would always warn people,
“watch your shoes!”

Sharon was pedantic about detail, her biggest to do list was to prepare for today, an
exceptionally brave and remarkable woman with a pragmatic outlook, she made
various notes with her wishes such as what music she wanted and the ceremony
included most of them.
She had the courage to write some memories in a small notebook:
Sharon bravely wrote about the music she wanted including our entrance music, the
wedding theme, Trumpet Tune by Purcell and she wanted songs from strong women
like Barbara Streisand, Bette Midler, Dolly Parton or Elkie Brookes. She put in small
notebook that she liked a good book, melodic music, period dramas, knitting and
crotchet and she liked baking but was never as good as Mrs C senior. She
poignantly wrote, “Grandkids fill a place in your heart you never knew was empty!”
Sharon also wrote: Born to Alf and Ouida Dean, I was their youngest daughter. I
attended Maw Green and Brierly Street infants, Juniors and Seniors and left at the
age of fifteen.
I volunteered with Sea Horse at the baths in Flag Lane when I was fifteen until I
reached sixteen and later at Aquarius from 1990’s to 2017 then back to Sea Horse.
My first job was with British Rail as a telephonist and worked there between 1968
and 1974. I met John whilst working there and married in 1972.
John added, he worked in the telegraph office but when Sharon first met him at the
tender age of sixteen, she thought he was big headed and rejected him outright! He
went to Derby and then returned to Crewe in the paper and printing division on
extension 2918 and Sharon constantly had to transfer calls so never forgot that
number. He tried desperately to chat her up and succeeded when she was
eighteen, they met up and Sharon fell for his charms!
Sharon wrote that 2918 was much used! She went on to say in 1974, I started a two-
year training course to become a State Enrolled Nurse and qualified in 1976 but then
had my daughter Rachel the following year. In 1978, I had placenta previa and my
second daughter Katherine was still born at twenty-six weeks. In 1980, my son
Richard arrived, and I loved combining motherhood with my nursing career because
I never wanted to lose my own identity.
I worked part time at Leighton on the orthopaedic ward, The Baroney on E6, E3 and
D Block and switched to nights working in Mental Health at Cranage Hall from
Christmas 1983 to October 1985. I then commenced my training to become a
Registered General Nurse and after achieving my goal, I worked mainly on ward 11
– surgical as part-time, three-quarter time and progressed to full time for many years
in the role of senior staff nurse.
In 1999, I became a practice nurse at Merepark Medical Centre in Alsager and
working there for fifteen years, I was known as Sister Cotton. I still combined one
night shift a week and a job in the evening service and I thoroughly enjoyed doing
bank and agency work.

I enjoyed my children’s childhood and activities including Rachel being involved with
running, athletics, drama and University and Richard’s involvement in the scouts and
playing Rugby.
We had many wonderful holidays. John added at this point: they often went away
with his parents, Nana and Grandad Cotton and enjoyed family holidays in
Somerset. They also went to the Hotel Atalon in Majorca. Sharon mentioned a
holiday to New Zealand, but John told me he booked it with the intention of Sharon
and her dear friend Suz having a long-awaited reunion: little and large.
The travel agent convinced them to combine New Zealand with a trip round the
world.
Sharon obviously remembered during that trip they were on a cruise and Richad
contacted them to say: “good news, I’m out of hospital, bad news is, I smashed my
shoulder!” A motherly panic set in and she said to John, shall we go back home –
John replied, “Rachel’s looking after him!”
Oh Dear!
Towards the end of Sharons notes, she mentioned she loved taking the
grandchildren on holiday, she wrote down “Choice Hotels in Keswick” Hols in
Blackpool, Swimming, Bannatynes, Lifestyle, Gym, L/D classes, Zumba and first
transport a motorbike and night walks with Eve, litter picking.
To clarify, Rachel said she and her mum looked forward to their girly holidays in Jan
and August at the choice hotels in Blackpool and Keswick but mum always treated
Richard and Hannah to a weekend break in lieu but Richard and Hannah once went
with John and Sharon to a Choice Hotel in Blackpool.
As a youngster, Richard remembers his mum reading to him: The boy stood on the
burning deck, his mouth was all a quiver, he gave a cough, his leg fell off and floated
down the river.
Sharon had a Honda 90 moped when the kids were young. Sharon used to offer
Rachels friends a lift home on it, er…no you’re ok Sharon! Richard later adopted the
redundant moped, named it the ‘Bogga’ and well and truly flogged it to within an inch
of its life until he got a side glance in a shop window – a 6’ 5” giant on a moped, not
cool!
Sharon was a member of Fitness First until it shut down. She went to Crewe baths
two or three times a week doing aqua fit, Zumba and she had a go at spinning, it all
fitted in with picking the grandchildren up from school.
During Covid, she couldn’t have them round for tea as she always did but she still
prepared meals and told Rachel and Richard to pick them up – bone of contention,
Richard never took the trays back!
Sharon retired from Leighton in 2007 and from the health centre in 2014 but
continued to work for an agency. She worked for Saving Lives up until she died and
was dedicated to her ladies and gents in the community helping with shopping,
taking them for walks, to the pub, tea and coffee shops and the marina.

Sharon also had a legendary sense of direction. They were away in Taunton with
the fishing and holiday gang. The fellas went fishing and the girls went for retail
therapy. The girls were late back but Sharon proudly told the men they had followed
the blue road and John quipped, well Sharon, the blue road happens to be the River
Parrot – good on her, she had discovered the road John hadn’t been able to find!
She also came to the brave decision she wanted to drive on a motorway, getting
onto the M6, she used her left-hand indicator and John asked, “what are you doing?”
“I’m going on there like last week!” Yes, but last week we were going North to
Blackpool, this week we are going South to Somerset! Its over there! And whilst on
the M6 John bravely commented “you can do more than fifty in the outside Lane!”
Getting on at Sandbach, she had only got near Trentham, her knuckles were white
as she gripped the steering wheel for dear life. “You ought to take your hands off
before you have to prize them off!” John joked.
Oh Dear!

May she rest in peace.