It wasn’t hard to figure out what Sharon Wootton was passionate about. You just had to read what she wrote.
For nearly 40 years, Wootton wrote a column about the outdoors for The Daily Herald. She also edited the newspaper’s outdoors section for two decades. And she wrote countless articles for the Features department, often about the things she most cared about: hiking, travel, birding and folk music.
Sharon H. Wootton died Sept. 27 after a short battle with brain cancer. She was 72.
“I have to say she was one of the most reliable and prolific writers I knew,” said Sally Birks, a retired Herald editor. “I don’t think there was a square mile in the state that she didn’t cover, either on foot or by car.”
Herald editors regarded Wootton as a hardworking and well-rounded journalist who could take on any assignment. Her writing was clean and clear, and reflected her own distinctive voice.
“An avid reader, Sharon could also intelligently discuss any topic,” said another longtime colleague, retired Herald reporter and editor Mike Benbow. “She had a very dry sense of humor that I enjoyed.”
Mike Murray, who worked with Wootton in the Herald Features department, also appreciated her sense of humor.
“She had a wonderful, dry sense of humor and a decidedly Maryland accent, her home state,” he said. “When she said Baltimore, it might sound like ‘ball-a-mer,’ and if I kidded her about it she took it with grace and a laugh.
“She loved the Pacific Northwest and shared that love through her columns,” Murray added.
Wootton was born on Oct. 22, 1946, to Calvin L. and Lorna E. Wootton in Baltimore, Maryland. She was the oldest of two children, growing up in the family home along the Magothy River in Pasadena, Maryland.
She graduated from Glen Burnie High School in 1964 and earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Towson State College in 1968. She had been a sports writer for the college newspaper, and found she had a knack for it.
After college, Wootton taught in Baltimore City Public Schools and wrote for a local weekly and the New England-based Soundings magazine. She also was a member of the Baltimore chapter of Up With People, a folk singing group.
Then, in the 1970s, she headed West to establish herself as a journalist. She found a job as a reporter and photographer for a weekly in South Bend, Washington.
In 1981, Wootton was hired by The Daily Herald and moved to Everett.
In 1992, she met her life partner, Maggie Savage, after a musical performance at the University of Washington in Seattle.
A folk singer, Savage had performed in the 1960s with her husband, Mike Moloso. They were known for their rendition of “Wasn’t That a Mighty Day When the Needle Hit the Ground,” a tongue-in-cheek song about the Space Needle. After her husband died, Savage continued singing with a solo career.
“She and my mom really hit it off,” said Mary Goetz, Wootton’s stepdaughter. “They moved through the whole transition of how lesbian couples exist in the world. They registered as domestic partners as soon as it was legal and married in 2013 as soon as that was legal.”
Wootton and Savage wrote two books together: “Washington Off the Beaten Path: A Guide to Unique Places” and “You Know You’re in Washington When…: 101 Quintessential Places, People, Events, Customs, Lingo, and Eats of the Evergreen State.”
In addition to nature, Wootton loved sports. She played first base for both her high school and college softball teams. She also volunteered as a softball or basketball coach or referee, and was an avid Mariners and Seahawks fan. And she played for The Herald’s softball team.
“When she was coaching, she was always aware of the idea of making sure everybody played regardless of their skill,” said Michael Wootton, her brother. “It wasn’t just to win for those kids; it was everybody plays.”
After Wootton retired, she and Savage moved to Shaw Island in the San Juans. From the island, she continued to write for The Herald from 2001 to 2019. She wrote a regular column on the outdoors, plus the occasional feature.
In 2002, Wootton was diagnosed with breast cancer. She fought the cancer into remission a couple of times before it returned as brain cancer this year.
Wootton and Savage built their forever home on property that had been in Savage’s family for generations. They moved into the house, which overlooks Parks Bay and a University of Washington biological preserve, around 2000. Wootton kept busy birdwatching, gardening and chopping firewood. She and Savage hosted writers and songwriters retreats on Shaw for about 12 years.
The couple also founded the annual Fourth of July Festival on the island for its 200 or so residents. After playing the festival’s annual softball game in a farmer’s hay field, they helped build a first-class ballfield next to Shaw Island County Park. For 10 years, Wootton was the umpire for the Shaw softball games.
Wootton established the nonprofit Shaw Respect, which provided scholarships to kids on Shaw Island. She helped manage a community-building website for Shaw islanders. She was a writer and photographer for the site.
“In life, there are people who are givers and there are people who are takers,” Goetz said. “Sharon was happiest when she was giving.”
She is survived by her partner of 27 years, Maggie Savage; brother, Michael Wootton (Eugenia); stepchildren Mike Moloseau, Mary Goetz (Joel) and Sara Koulen (Peter); nephew, Devin Wootton and niece, Kathleen Hurd; as well as three stepgrandchildren.
Wootton will be buried on Shaw Island. A memorial has yet to be scheduled.
Sara Bruestle: 425-339-3046; sbruestle@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @sarabruestle
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