Obituary of Albert Ray Sharp

Albert “Al” Ray Sharp, 97, of Twin Falls, reached the end-of-the-trail on May 24, 2013. Trout and bass are now officially “off-the-hook.” Born on St. Patrick’s Day in 1916 to Clarence and Lillian (Dougherty) Sharp in Skidmore, Missouri, his family moved west to Twin Falls, Idaho when Al was two years of age. Al grew up and received his schooling in Twin Falls. He enjoyed and developed a passion for fishing and hunting during his youth. As a young adult he became an expert fly fisherman and terrorized trout with his fishing buddies, Ruel Stayner and Jennie Stewart. Ruel tied his special flies for the fishing trio. Silver Creek was one of Al’s favorite fishing holes. Al was a true character in every sense of the word. One of his favorite stories was when he drove his sport roadster during his high school years down the Shoshone Falls grade with no brakes to see if he could make it to the bottom without recking his car. Needless to say he was unable to maneuver a sharp curve and ended up in the rocks near a pond. He told his folks that he swerved to miss a cow. They believed his story hook, line and sinker. We will keep his Halloween pranks a secret. Al married Wilma Bertsch in 1936 in Twin Falls and from this union his son Gary and daughter Judy were born. They were later divorced. He owned and operated several small businesses when he lived in Twin Falls. His biggest venture was serving as the concession vendor during the 1950’s for the Twin Falls Cowboy Baseball Team – a New York Yankee professional farm club in the old Pioneer League. He employed many young boys who earned summertime money and gained valuable work skills selling Falls Brand hot dogs, peanuts and popcorn to the many baseball fans at Jaycee Ballpark. It was a special era and time in the history of Twin Falls. Eventually Al move to Lakeview, Oregon and then to Orick, California where he invested in a boat to commercially fish with his dad off the California coast. His dad was lost at sea during a storm. Al then moved to St. Helens, Oregon where he lived, fished in the Columbia and nearby rivers, and worked for 31 years, establishing a lawn mowing business during his retirement years. In 1999 Al moved back to Twin Falls where he lived in a guest cottage built for him by his daughter and son-in-law. Because working was the driving force in his life, it did not take Al long to purchase lawn mowers so he would have something to do during the summer months. He could often be seen on his sit-down mower cutting the pasture grass. Sometimes he was too ambitious with his mowing, leaving little grass for the pasture lambs to eat. He insisted on cutting his own lawn until the age of 96. He also took on maintenance of the neighborhood road. In between the grass cutting he enjoyed many fishing trips to the Brownlee, Cj Strike and Salmon Dams with a neighborhood friend. One of his favorite activities in the fall was splitting and stacking firewood. When it snowed in the winter time, Al would get up at the break of dawn and shovel snow. He always found something constructive and helpful to do. Never one to sit idle. Al was preceded in death by his parents, sister, son Gary Sharp and daughter Judy Sharp Watson. He is survived by his son-in-law Larry Watson and his wife Pam, daughter-in-law Dona Sharp of St. Louis, granddaughters Shelly (Kenzo) Akamatsu and Marnie (J.P.) Schell of Boise; Lori Sharp and grandson Gary Sharp Jr. of St. Louis; great grandchildren Payton and Tess Armstrong and Andy and Emma Schell, all of Boise; Gary Sharp III of St. Louis and niece Irma Jean Mingo. Al got an A+ for spoiling his grandchildren, great grandchildren and helping others down on their luck, as he called it. He will be remembered as a hard-working, quick witted, kind and generous person. The family wishes to thank medical personnel- especially Dr. Ficklin and Twin Falls Care & Rehabilitation Center staff and St. Luke’s Hospice – especially Rick for their care. A graveside service will be held on Saturday June 1, 2013 at 11:00 am at Sunset Memorial Park. Pastor Deb Seles of the Ascension Episcopal Church will officiate. The family will greet those in attendance immediately after the service. Memorial contributions may be made in Al’s honor to a charity of your choice. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Rosenau Fuenral Home in Twin Falls.