Gerald Joseph Sharp, 96, of rural Edina, Missouri, passed away Tuesday, August 5, 2025, at the Good Samaritan Society in Ottumwa, Iowa.
Gerald was born on October 7, 1928, in Edina, Missouri, the son of David Francis and Carrie Frances Kruger Sharp.
He attended the St. Joseph Catholic High School in Edina, Missouri.
At the age of 21 he was drafted into the United States Army and served his country during the Korean Conflict.
On September 12, 1953, in Kirksville, Missouri, Gerald married Rebecca Ann Sturguess. They farmed west of Edina, on Rt. P, until 1969 and they moved to the farm house north of Edina to make their home and raise a family.
While working on the farm he worked 17 years at the Kirksville Osteopathic Hospital in Kirksville, Missouri before returning to farming full time.
He was a member of the St. Joseph Catholic Church, Knights of Columbus, Knox County VFW and American Legion Posts. He loved farming, raising a garden and his flowers; and he looked forward to drives in the country.
Gerald is survived by his wife of more than seventy-two years, Rebecca Sharp of rural Edina, Missouri; his children, Barbara Ann Withrow of Packwood, Iowa, Jimmy Francis and Lisa Sharp of Edina, Missouri, and Debbie and Rodney Barrett of Noble, Oklahoma; thirteen grandchildren, Cynthia, Paul, Barbara, Ronnie, Tammy, Sarah, Waunita, David, Shelby, Joey, Savanah, Jeremy, and Jennifer; seventeen great grandchildren, Gabriele, Kelsie, Kylie, Derek, Rachel, Tayte, Alainna, Jacob, Lucas, Mason, Creedence, Dakota, Gage, Talon, Isabella, Sophia, and Joelle; two great great grandchildren, Freya and Luna; along with numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and a host of friends and neighbors.
He was preceded in death by his parents, David and Carrie Sharp; his children, Patricia Ellen Brown, Michael Edward Sharp, Robert Joseph Sharp, and Russell David Sharp; a son-in-law, Parker Withrow; three brothers, Paul and Cecilia Sharp, Robert and Marie Sharp and Richard Sharp; and a grandson, Jimmy Francis Sharp, Jr.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, August 9, 2025, at the St. Joseph Catholic Church in Edina, Missouri.
Visitation will be from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Friday, August 8, 2025, at the Doss Funeral Home in Edina, Missouri. A Christian Prayer Service will be Friday at 4:30 p.m. at the funeral home.
Interment, with Full Military Honors, will be in the St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Edina, Missouri.
An expression of sympathy in memory of Gerald Sharp may be left to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital or the St. Joseph Catholic Church. A memorial may be left at or mailed to the Doss Funeral Home 208 N. 4th Street, Edina, Missouri 63537.