~ IN MEMORY ~
Sharon “Sherrie” Wilson-Walton, wife of WA/DL Capt.
Mike Walton
May 22, 1942 – August 15, 2026
PCN memorial site
https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/phoenix-az/sharon-walton-13007334
On August 15, 2026, I said goodbye to the love of
my life. Sherrie passed away peacefully and without pain in Scottsdale,
Arizona, after a brief but heroic battle with bone cancer. For 58 wonderful
years, she was my co-pilot, my strength, and my best friend.
Born in Des Moines, Iowa, Sherrie attended Drake
University before following her adventurous spirit into aviation at age 20. She
began as a stewardess for Braniff Airways in Dallas and later moved to Seattle
to fly the Lockheed Constellation for Pacific Northern Airlines to Alaska, a
land and people she grew to love deeply. That was where our story truly
began—on my very first flight with PNA to Kodiak, Alaska. I fell in love with
her grace and love for life. We were married in Hawaii in July 1968, embarking
on a life rich in family, service, and extraordinary adventure. Sherrie
remained in the airline industry until retiring from Western Airlines in 1975.
Sherrie’s heart belonged entirely to her family.
Together, we adopted our two beautiful daughters from Thailand and a son from
Iowa. She immersed herself in every moment of their lives—cheering at soccer
games, sitting through cheerleading practices, helping with homework, and
walking the fairways during Jr. PGA tournaments. When our family grew, she
poured that same fierce, tender love into being a grandmother to Victoria,
John, Peyton, Cameron, Karson, Paris, and Blake.
In 1975, we moved to Scottsdale, living along a
green golf course before settling in Cave Creek in 1987 so Sherrie could have
her horses. She had a wonderful gift for thoughtful gestures. For our second
wedding anniversary, she bought me a Stearman aircraft project—a labor of love
we worked on and flew together for 44 years, later a gold placer claim in
Arizona.
Sherrie had a deep, protective love for animals
and children. She spent 17 years with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office
Mounted Search and Rescue, frequently riding her Mustang, Cheyenne, through the
trails of the National Forest north of Phoenix. Her courage saved lives: she
provided emergency medical aid to a woman crushed under a horse and heroically
located a young boy lost in northern Arizona during the dead of winter.
Even with a full heart at home, she never stopped
learning or giving back. Sherrie earned a degree in Archaeology, volunteered
with the Phoenix Art Museum, Kiwanis of Carefree, and the BLM Mustang program,
and shared the world with us on family journeys across America, Thailand,
Korea, Europe, Russia, and England.
Sherrie had an extraordinary knack for making
lifelong friends wherever she stepped. She is survived by her husband, Michael;
daughters Kimberly Emminger and Tanya (Jack) Maixner; and her seven
grandchildren. She lived fully, loved deeply, and left a legacy of courage,
warmth, and joy that will stay with us forever.
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