Her Primary Rolls

“There are just two rules: I do the driving, and you may not honk the horn in the building,” says Sister Sharon Lundell, laughing as she and the children roll along the halls of the Lorin Farr Ward meetinghouse in Ogden, Utah.

The big smiles on the children’s faces indicate just how much they enjoy this traditional Sunday ride in the wheelchair that transports their diminutive Primary president.

Sharon has some advantages working for her. Her position in the wheelchair puts her at eye level with the children, and they are quieted by her soft voice.

Children also feel Sharon’s deep love for the gospel. The ward Primary has doubled in size during the four years Sharon has served as president. Children from less-active families or from difficult home situations have found a haven there. And the children who are in unfortunate circumstances learn from their leader to overcome obstacles in their lives.

In spite of her handicaps, Sharon’s parents always encouraged her to do her best. When she was in the ninth grade, her artwork was featured in the Weber County Library Art Show. Later she was Utah’s representative to the National Very Special Arts Festival, and one of her oils hung in the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

Sharon intended to study art as she went into higher education, but a family friend and physician encouraged her to study counseling. “You can help disabled people,” he said. “Others of us who try to counsel them don’t really understand how they feel—but you understand.”

The first disabled student to complete four years at Weber State College, graduating cum laude with a B.A. in psychology, Sharon was honored as the outstanding psychology student of the year. She then earned a master’s degree from the University of Utah in rehabilitative counseling. She now devotes many hours to counseling head trauma victims and their families at Ogden’s McKay-Dee Hospital Stewart Rehabilitation Center. Her life blesses everyone who knows her—including the fortunate children who ride in her wheelchair.—Daryl Hoole, Salt Lake City, Utah

Primary leader Sharon Lundell gives children a lift in more ways than one. (Photography by Philip S. Shurtleff.)