Sharon McPherson

Sharon Hanson McPherson 84 years of age went home to be with her Lord On February 15th, 2025 in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Via home, hospital and hospice. She was preceded in death by her parents Carl and Thelma Hanson and sister Kay Rowe
She is survived by James (Jim) McPherson, her husband of 64 years, a son David and his three children Jared, Luke, and Autumn of Las Cruces. A daughter Karla Cannata and husband Mike of Crescent, OK and their 4 children Bethanie King, of Edmond OK Hether Nelson of Albuquerque, NM, Stan Cannata and Wife Lindsey of Stillwater, OK, and Nate Cannata also of Stillwater, OK. She also leaves 8 great-grandchildren Ayven, Logan, Brynn & Holden King, Ryder, Asher, & Tucker Nelson, Addie Cannata, and numerous nieces and nephews.
Sharon was born in Bentonville, Arkansas, on June 15, 1940, while her father was there doing defense work early in WWII. They later moved to Coffeyville, Kansas where she passed an idyllic childhood in the country. When she was fifteen her family moved to Las Cruces and joined First Baptist Church where she later met and married her soul mate, Jim McPherson. After a short honeymoon in Cloudcroft, NM they returned to Las Cruces where she continued her job as a secretary at WSMR and Jim continued his studies at NMSU. Soon they had two children, David & Karla, both born in the old Memorial Hospital on Alameda Street in Las Cruces. After David was born she became a stay-at-home mom and kept several children to supplement their income until Jim graduated. She also worked part-time as a secretary at First Baptist Church in the mid 60's
In 1969 when God called to preach and they moved to Ft. Worth, Texas so he could attend SWBT Seminary. Sharon studied at TCJC and for a time worked at the Southwestem Journal of Theology. While there, they felt a call to missions and in 1973 were appointed as Southem Baptist missionaries to Beirut, Lebanon. They pastored a little rural church in Elliott, Texas-just outside Heame--to meet the requirements of the mission board.
In their 26 year career overseas they worked in Lebanon, Jordan, The Gaza Strip, France, Morocco and Chad Africa. Their ministry also took them to many other countries in the area. They spoke and worked in French and several dialects of Arabic. During their career they experienced the horrors of war in Gaza and Beirut, the joys of pastoring churches and teaching English, and the challenge of years of language study.
Sharon spent much of her missions career tutoring and befriending the local high school and college students in English and coordinating the language study of new missionaries. She also edited 3 Arabic-language textbooks-one into the Gaza Strip dialect, and 2 into the Chadian Arabic dialect-as well as starting and directing a Reading Room/Library in Chad. She loved speaking with those she worked with in their heart language and delighted in time spent in their homes. She remained in contact with some until her death.
Their children were with them in Lebanon, Jordan and Gaza before returning to the U.S. for college. Letting them return to the states alone for college was really hard for her. She would recall the time when they were in living in Gaza and David was in college in Texas at Baylor-halfway around the world. She had to go to the U.S. for surgery and wanted to visit him while there. So, without giving him any warning, she just showed up at his dorm and was sitting on the front steps when he returned from class. Needless-to-say he was shocked-but not surprised his mom would do something like that.
And she would recall the time after their daughter, Karla, was married and pregnant with their first granddaughter, Bethanie. Karla's family was living in Nome, Alaska at the time, so she and Jim traveled from Morocco to Alaska to be with them for Beth's arrival-a distance of over 5,000 miles one way. When they retumed to Morocco she was so homesick to be with her first grandbaby that Jim put her on a plane and sent her back to Alaska for two more weeks. (He usually gave her whatever she wanted.) They retired in 1999 to Las Cruces where both of their mothers were still living at the time. For the first time since childhood she was about to spend time with her sister, Kay. That remained one of her favorite things. The other was finally being able to spend time with her grandchildren. She loved living in the same town as David and being a part of the lives of his three little ones. And being able to see Karla's family without having to travel over 5,000 miles delighted her. She loved her family and made many sacrifices for them-but to her they were gifts of love. After retiring she became active in First Baptist Church. She spent years teaching Bible and developed a prayer ministry which she was a part of for more than ten years.
Memorial Services to celebrate her life will be at La Paz - Grahams Funeral Home on March 1st 2025 at 6:00PM With Dr David Burrous officiating. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the charity of your choice