September 8, 1937 – March 12, 2026
Sharon Roberds Baxter, PhD, 88, of Tullahoma, died Thursday, March 12, 2026, at Elk River Health Center, Winchester, Tennessee following a sudden onset of dementia.
Ms. Baxter was born September 8, 1937 in Fayetteville Arkansas to Wesley and Dorothy Roberds, while Mr. Roberds taught at the University of Arkansas. She graduated from Westchester High School in California and attended Chapman College in Orange County for two years before transferring to Phillips University in Enid, Oklahoma. There she met and married William (Bill) Baxter on May 29, 1959, which was also her graduation day. During a brief stay in Larned, Kansas she delivered a daughter before the family moved to Lawrence, Kansas where she gave birth to two sons. In 1966 the family moved again, to Bowling Green, Ohio where Mr. Baxter served on the Bowling Green State University (BGSU) faculty.
Throughout her life Ms. Baxter engaged in a myriad of service, educational and First Christian Church activities. At BGSU she headed a team from an ecumenical campus ministry to develop a 24 hour-a-day “Crisis Phone” that was of importance during the campus upheaval following the 1970 Kent State killings. This service was later developed into a current county-wide “Help-line”.
While raising her three children Ms. Baxter earned a Masters Degree in Counseling from BGSU in 1975. In 1986 she was awarded a PhD in Educational Psychology by Toledo University. She practiced her skills in counseling while serving from 1980 to1996 in a county-wide Educational Resources Center where she worked as a home-school counselor for students struggling in their classrooms.
During her educational career Ms. Baxter became fascinated by the Myers-Briggs approach to understanding human psychology, based on the work of psychologist Karl Jung. This model identifies four broad areas of human orientations and stresses the strengths of each. She became a certified teacher of this process and conducted numerous workshops for schools and businesses. Upon her retirement, in 2005 Mr. and Ms. Baxter relocated to Tullahoma, Tennessee.
Leisure travel was a particular passion for Ms. Baxter She and Bill visited over 40 countries, with numerous cruises and trips to Mexico and Central America. They often led groups of students and others to explore sites of Maya ruins and Mexico City.
Ms. Baxter and her husband presented the popular two-person reader’s theater play “Love Letters” by A. R. Gurney over thirty times for audiences in Northern Ohio, Tullahoma and Manchester,Tennessee.
Recently she served as President of the Coffee County Senior Center and volunteer for the “Meals On Wheels” program.
She is survived and grieved by her husband of 67 years; her children, Cynthia of Gorham, Maine, Brett of St. Augustine, Florida and Brice of Murfreesboro, Tennessee and their spouses; six grand children and seven great grandchildren.
The family wishes to acknowledge their gratitude for the compassionate hospice care provided by our local Compassus organization. Elk River Health Center, Winchester, Tennessee also provided excellent care during her final days.
No funeral service is planned at this time, A “Celebration of Life” to be held at First Christian Church, Tullahoma will be announced in the future. Memorial donations may be made to First Christian Church, 120 West Grundy, Tullahoma or to Alzheimer Tennessee at PO box 1373, Tullahoma, 37388.
Watson Funeral Home and Memorial Gardens of Winchester is in charge of arrangements.
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