Loving wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt, sister-in-law and friend, Patricia Marie Crofts passed away from complications of Alzheimer's disease on February 20, 2025. She was born on January 8, 1943, in Madoc, Ontario, Canada, to Joseph Andrew Sharrow and Violet Mae Whiteman Sharrow.

Mom's younger years were spent in St. Regis, New York, on the Mohawk Indian Reservation and in Canada, as it was right on the border of both countries. Her mother died when she was just 8 months old. Things were left to her dad and older siblings to help raise her. She often told stories of her and her dad fishing, hunting and trapping deer, bear and even trapping and eating muskrat. She thought its fur was of greater value than the taste of the meat. Mom grew up with the mighty St. Lawrence River right out of her back door. She would swim in the summertime, and in the cold Canadian winters, when the river would freeze over, they would literally drive their cars and slide and play on it.

Her dad was full-blooded Mohawk and spoke the language of the Mohawk people. He taught Mom the language too, but she was not allowed to speak it when she attended school on the U.S. side. With little opportunity to use it, she slowly forgot how to speak it. When she was around 12 or 13, a young LDS couple was sent to the reservation. After talking with her dad, who, as Mom said, "was open to all religions," they brought her back to Orderville, Utah. She was baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the only one in her family. She stayed and attended school for about a year.

Mom started missing her family back in New York and happened to have some family friends attending BYU who were heading back home, so it worked out perfectly. Mom always appreciated the Cooke family for the ride back to New York. She was happy to be back, and her dad was even happier to have his little Patsy home. She often talked about the day her dad had a heart attack and passed away. She was only 14, but she remembered that day like it was yesterday. Having lost both parents at such a young age, life was both sad and hard for her. She moved to Syracuse, New York, with her sister Shirley and began waiting tables at a small diner.

Pat always kept in touch with a young man in Orderville, and when she was 19 they met again while he was serving in the Navy and stationed back east. She married Dennis Crofts on May 26, 1962, in Rochester, New York, after getting permission from his mother, Ines, back in Kanab, because Dad had lost his wallet the night before their wedding.

They moved from the East Coast to the West Coast but eventually planted their roots in Dennis' hometown of Orderville. By then they had three kids—two East Coasters and a West Coaster. They figured they needed a "soup-towner" too. With four kids, dogs, cats, pigs, sheep, horses, cows, rabbits and chickens, plus jobs at Thunderbird Restaurant, Kanab Interiors, and later as a lunch lady for Valley schools, Mom stayed busy. She eventually found the job she truly loved and later added custodian for Valley High School to her résumé. She retired from both school positions.

Mom always had an eye for remodeling the old house. She would say, "Let's knock down this wall and do this to this room," and Dad would get it done. She could sew beautifully. Donna always had Easter and Christmas dresses, but the outfit Donna remembers most was the matching plaid pantsuits Patricia made for herself and Donna. They wore them to dinner at Nedra's in Fredonia and then to the Showhouse in Kanab to watch Freaky Friday. It was the best birthday ever.

Mom could do just about anything. We always had a garden and plenty of fruit trees. She bottled tomatoes, peaches and pears, made pickles, and her jams and jellies were delicious. She loved planting flowers, quilting and taking care of us kids, but her greatest talent was cooking and baking. She could make a feast out of almost nothing. She loved reading cookbooks and knew exactly which spices paired best with different foods. Her homemade bread was always a treat, and when she made cinnamon rolls they covered the kitchen counters from one end to the other.

Sundays were always special. Mom prepared amazing dinners for the whole family, and the company was just as wonderful. Summer parties were the best, with Dutch oven dinners on the patio. Those good times will be missed greatly.

Pat is survived by her four children: Scott (Nesha) Crofts, Andy (Shelie) Crofts, Donna (Kenley) Glover and Jerry (Michelle) Crofts; 18 grandchildren; 42 great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren, with one more on the way, as well as many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Dennis; brothers Jerald and Donny; sisters Shirley, Betty and Velma; and nephews Dennis and Stephen.

A graveside service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 1, 2025, in the Orderville Cemetery. There will be a viewing from 10 to 10:45 a.m. at the Orderville LDS Church.

The family of Pat would like to thank the friends and staff at Our House care facility in Cedar City, with special thanks to Dianna, Anna, Mandy and Debbie. Your special touch and loving care mean the world to us.