William Curtis Sharp, 96 of Castle Hayne, North Carolina, passed away at his home Monday, March 30, 2026.
Curtis, as he was known, was born October 31, 1929, in Frost, a son of the late John Mitchell Sharp and Edyth Morrison Sharp.
In 1931 his family moved from Frost to Renick, and occupied land owned by his mother’s family. In 1938 they purchased additional adjoining land, where Curtis grew up and attended the local school in Renick, graduating from high school in 1948.
In 1949 Curtis entered Potomac State College, then completed his requirements for a Bachelor of Science degree in Agronomy at West Virginia University in 1953. In 1955 he graduated from The Pennsylvania State University with a Master of Science degree in Soil Physics. Later that year he entered the military and was honorably discharged in 1957.
On October 5, 1957, Curtis married Peggy Louise Bell. Peggy was the daughter of the late Edgar Rucker Bell and Virginia Danese Kessinger Bell, who lived in Lewisburg. At the time of Peggy’s death on March 6, 2018, they had been married 61 years.
During summers, while in college, Curtis was employed as a student trainee with the USDA Soil Conservation Service (SCS) in Greenbrier and Pocahontas counties, and after completing his military service, took a permanent position with them in East Aurora, New York. Except for two and half years of employment with The State University of New York, Curtis’ career spanned more than 40-years with SCS, (now the Natural Resources Conservation Service or NRCS), in various locations, including New York, New Jersey, California, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C, until his retirement in 1996.
His employment concentrated on the development of new plants and related technology for the conservation of natural resources. During his last 20 years of service, he was a Regional Plant Materials Specialist (PMS) in Broomall, Pennsylvania, and in Washington, D.C., he directed the Plant Materials Program as a National PMS. He enjoyed speculating that one could not travel five miles on any rural highway in America without seeing a conservation plant developed by the program to which he committed his career. His most rewarding accomplishments were the development of plants and technology for stabilizing east coast sand dunes and tidal stream shorelines, and his efforts in the Service’s program redirection during his last 10 years in D.C.
Following retirement, Curtis published several books regarding the history of the Plant Materials Program (Conservation Plants – A USDA Success Program.) and about 20 genealogical books on his parents’ and wife’s families, plus six books on the genealogical history of 100 Pocahontas Pioneers. His busy retirement also included collaborating with fellow plant materials folks for 13 annual botany tours (2008-2024) known as “Grass Treks” serving as key editor of the reports.
However, these accomplishments were dwarfed by the joint rearing with Peggy of four wonderful, decent and productive children.
In addition to his parents and his wife, he was preceded in death by brothers, Warren, age 93, and Burton, age 97.
He is survived by his four children, Mitchell Clifford Sharp, of Downingtown, Pennsylvania, Rebecca Bell Ward, of Castle Hayne, North Carolina, Melissa Lee Terrels, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Johanna Dene Sharp, of Jupiter, Florida; 11 grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren.
Curtis will be buried beside Peggy on top of a hill near Frost, in the cemetery established in 1912 by his grandfather and grandmother, the late William Alexander Gilmer Sharp and Nancy Elizabeth Arbogast Sharp. It is on the property where he and his father and grandfather were born.
A memorial service is in preparation and dates have not been finalized. Announcements will follow.
