Sharon Diane Train

Sharon, 74, passed away April 6, 2013. She was the beloved mother of Michael D. (Lee Ann) Train; loving grandmother of Melissa R. (Tony) Gray and Michael Lewis Train; proud great grandmother of Anthony M. Gray and Kaley A. Gray; cherished sister of Rodney Simkins, Cathie Power; and devoted best friend of Norma Lundberg. Visitation will be Sunday, April 14, 2013 from 1-5 PM at horan & McConaty Family Chapel, 11150 East Dartmouth Avenue (at Parker Road), Aurora. Funeral Service will be Monday, April 15, 2013, 11 AM, at New Hope Community Church, 17699 East Hampden Avenue, Aurora. Interment to follow at Hampden Memorial Gardens. My mom was not a June Cleaver or a Carol Brady type of mom. And if you ever ate anything my mom cooked you also know she was not Betty Crocker. My mom was the kind of mom that took me to California when I was three because she knew that she could not make enough money back home to raise a boy. My mom was the kind of mom that was harder on me than she needed to be when I was young because she knew she had to be both mom and dad. My mom was the mom that took self-defense classes so she could protect me when I was little. Mom was very scary at 5'3"". My mom loved sports. She loved to bowl on her work league. She was one of the best softball players I have ever seen. She could throw a ball from short stop to first base or from center field to home faster than you could run (I'd like to see if June Cleaver could do that). Mom tried to teach me how to throw but I just could not stand my mom showing me how to throw a ball and I did not let her show me (side note: to this day I can't throw a ball as good as mom). But her most favorite sport was to ride her motorcycle – she had a 250 cub Triumph. (Mom Brady on a motorcycle, I don't think so.) We would go to the deserts outside of Los Angles and visit my uncle and go riding, mom on her 250 and me on my 125. Mom usually rode the trails but she also would take on the moto-cross tracks. My mom did not like to drive on freeways. So when we went to go see my grandma and my aunt Cathy we would have to take the side roads from the San Fernando Valley to downtown LA. My most favorite memory of the drives is that mom and I would sing back when I could sing. My mom had a real nice voice. Mom and I knew all the Carpenter songs and Ann Murray songs and yes, I sang ""Rainy Days and Mondays"" always get me down. I tried to teach mom the Beach Boys songs but that did not work out. Mom singing ""LET'S GO SURFING NOW"" just did not come out right. My mom taught me to say ""yes, ma'am"" and ""yes, sir"". She said treat all people with respect; that I should not care about the color of their skin or the accent in their voice. My mom was a sergeant in the Air National Guard. She was attached to the base hospital and was a med-tech. She loved doing that. It was a dream that she had always had and she made it happen. My Mom looked after everyone in our family. She helped my grandma with my mom's little sister, and later she helped her a little with her kids. When my mom moved to Prescott Arizona where she joined the Police department as a citizen patrol officer, she helped with traffic control, traffic accidents and other functions such as consulting ladies. My Mom fought cancer 3 times; she had half of one lung removed and she was on dialysis for 10 years and I never heard her complain about any of it. She just took what life gave her with the courage that most people wish they had. Mom was politically to the left which made for some wild conversations at my house. So we learned to find a lot of other things to talk about. These are just some of the things that made my mom, my mom. And these are just some of my memories. One thing that I know for sure about my mom is that she loved her country and her family – that she tried to protect both of them. When I was a little boy I knew that I did not need be afraid, mom was there. I know that my mom's last job before she went to be with the Lord was to wait until I left the room before she passed – she was protecting one last time. I love you, Mom, and I'll miss you so very much. Now please take your rest. Please share your memories of Sharon and condolences with her family by selecting the Guestbook link below.