Peggy Bell Sharp, age 84, of York, Pennsylvania, died peacefully Tuesday, March 6, 2018, in York Hospital, following a short illness.
Born December 17, 1933, in Caldwell, she was a daughter of the late Edgar Rucker Bell and Virginia Danese Kessinger.
She graduated from the C&O School of Nursing in Clifton Forge, Virginia, in 1956 and became certified as a Registered Nurse. She also received additional Psychology training in Wilmington, Delaware, and operating room procedures at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland.
She married William Curtis Sharp, whom she met on a blind double-date, October 5, 1957, in Caldwell. Peggy was an Operating Room (OR) Registered Nurse in many hospitals throughout her career. She and Curtis and their family lived in numerous locations across the country as a result of Curtis’ position with the USDA. Peggy worked at Arnot Ogden Hospital in Elmira, New York, Burdette-Tomlin Memorial Hospital in Cape May Court House, New Jersey, Castro Valley Hospital in Castro Valley, California, Lodi Hospital in Lodi, California, Chester County Hospital in West Chester, Pennsylvania, and Paoli Hospital in Paoli, Pennsylvania.
During their early married years, in Big Flats, New York, Peggy and Curtis welcomed four children into their home. Her children remember her as a driven and loyal mother who encouraged them to pursue their goals.
Peggy was accomplished at music and was a self-taught pianist. She was a witty individual who loved numerous subjects, and was passionate about archeology and the environment. She dedicated much of her spare time to reading to young children in grade school, and cleaning roads and highways of litter. She was a member of the Elk Branch Presbyterian Church near Harper’s Ferry. She and her husband worked together on the 512-page book “A Kessinger Family History” which arrived from the publisher on the day of her passing.
In addition to her parents, she is preceded in death by brother, Edgar Bell.
P
eggy is survived by her husband of 61 years, William Curtis Sharp; children, Mitchell Clifford Sharp, of Downingtown, Pennsylvania, Rebecca Ward, of York, Pennsylvania, Melissa Terrels, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Johanna Dene Sharp, of Jupiter, Florida; a sister, June Lee Wolcott, of Roswell, Georgia; 11 grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
Peggy will be cremated, and buried in Frost, in the cemetery established in 1914 by her husband’s grandparents, William Alexander Gilmer Sharp and Nancy Elizabeth Arbogast Sharp. The cemetery is on the property where William Alexander, his father, Curtis, and his siblings were born. Peggy loved the natural beauty and people of Pocahontas County.
Funeral service will be held in the spring in Harpers Ferry and at the cemetery in Frost. Friends, loved ones and relatives will be advised.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Autism Project of Palm Beach County, FL, 1310 North Congress Avenue, Suite 100, West Palm Beach, FL 33409; or autisumproject.org
Online condolences may be made at www.geiple.com
