Sharon Creel

Sharon Louise (Knepp) Creel was 73 when she passed away on June 5, 2025, too soon after a shocking leukemia diagnosis. She is survived by her husband, Melvin Creel of Tucson, AZ; daughter Michele Creel & partner Travis Weader of Milroy, PA; daughter Marcie & husband Trevor Meridith of Stillwater, OK; grandchildren Catelyn & her husband Gunnar Hoffmann, Jack Brown, Sara Bliss, Gunnar Bliss, and Emily Meridith; and great-grandchildren Brody & Hunter Hoffmann. Also, she is survived by sister Bonnie Wagner of Mifflinburg, PA and brother Jack L Knepp of McClure, PA. She is pre-deceased by parents Jack C & Nina K Knepp of McClure, PA and brother Dave Knepp of Kiowa, CO.

Sharon was born April 13, 1952, in Lewistown, PA, the first of 4 children to Jack & Nina Knepp. Mr. Knepp was career Air Force and, as such, the family moved several times. (Sharon thought Japan was really neat!) When the Knepps were stationed in Las Vegas, NV, another career military family moved in across the street… the Creels! They arrived with a lot of cars & a lot of boys. Nina said to Sharon (now 15) and her neighborhood friends who were all peeking through the curtains, “You girls stop spying on those boys & go introduce yourselves!” Melvin was 18, a freshman & football player at UNLV and it didn’t take long before he decided he liked Sharon a whole lot. He even managed to talk her 9-yr-old sister, Bonnie, into selling Sharon to him for a pack of gum!

Well, the Knepps got transferred to Virginia for Sharon’s last year and a half of high school and that being apart thing just wasn’t going to work. They were engaged by Christmas, Sharon graduated in June, and she & Melvin got married July 11, 1970, back in Las Vegas. For their honeymoon, they drove to Disneyland. (In retrospect, that was the first clue!)

They had two daughters, and she was the ultimate stay at home mom! She was often a room mother at their schools when the girls were young. She sewed and cooked and her home was always clean & inviting. Sharon was the wife of a college professor, administrator & coach. It was interesting and fun and also meant more moving! They briefly owned a health club and later toured the Central Plains selling painted wood crafts & hair bows made via kitchen table assembly lines. As empty nesters, they teamed up with Sharon’s brother, Dave, and traveled the country heading up cable construction upgrades. In this life they shared, they moved dozens of times, literally! The precision they perfected of “pack, move, unpack, repeat” left many in awe! They finally settled in Tucson, AZ in 1999.

And this is when things got really fun, or weird, it’s up for interpretation! Annual Disney World trips transformed their home aesthetically. Beagles transformed their lives energetically… and auditorily. And tattoos became all the rage! (Sharon got her first tattoo at age 62 and Mel got his first at 65!)

The grandbabies called her “Disney Grandma” and they were her delight! They loved her Disney soundtracks and Disney movies on repeat. She loved teaching them to swim and how to make beignets. And oh, the arts & crafts! She was very crafty and creative and generously shared her time and talents in activities. Thankfully, she shared her artistic genes with more than a few of her growing family!

She was an avid reader her entire adult life. She had an affinity for pirates & Scots, strong female archetypes, and histories brought to life.

Oh! Did you know she was a powerlifting champion at 35?! There’s even a trophy!

She was kind and accepting. She gave the most thoughtful gifts. She loved the desert, her pool, and her windchimes. She loved Mexican food, margaritas, and angel food cake. Roller coasters made her giggle.

She mourned her dear puppies, Sidney, Henry, & Walter. She leaves Mickey & Bruno in charge of Mel.

A direct quote from Mel… “I enjoy her company.” Michele & Marcie believe that to be the sweetest thing any man could say about a woman he chose to do life with!

Out of respect for the unique family geography, there will be no formal services. Sharon will be cremated and lovingly kept in their home. Friends and family are encouraged to remember Sharon fondly, and often, and to share stories of her with wild abandon!