Obit of Thelma "Gladys" (Ford) Sharp

Chatsworth- Thelma "Gladys" Sharp, 93, of Chatsworth will be spending New Years in heaven with her beloved husband. She passed away at 11:25 a.m. on Sunday, December 30, 2012 at OSF St. James–John W. Albrecht Medical Center in Pontiac.

Funeral Services for Gladys will be held at 11:00 am on Friday, January 4, 2013 at Chatsworth United Methodist Church. Rev. Ivy Silas will officiate. Visitation will be held two hours prior to the service on Friday at the church. Burial will follow services at Brenton Township Cemetery in rural Piper City. Memorials may be made to the Chatsworth United Methodist Church. Calvert & Martin Funeral Home in Chatsworth is handling arrangements for the family.

Gladys was born to Andrew and Emily Isabel Ford on February 21, 1919 in Chatsworth, IL. She married the love of her life, Carl Sharp, on August 13, 1938. Together they spent the next 73 years showing the world what “happily ever after” really means.

Gladys spent her entire life surrounded by people who loved her. She is survived by her three sons; Gene Sharp of Chatsworth, Don Sharp and his wife Eleanor of Mt. Pulaski, and Rick Sharp and Dana Spies of Champaign; eight grandchildren; 20 great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews. She was also survived by her sisters Velma and Dorothy, and her brother Clinton. Gladys was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Carl; her brother, Floyd; her sister, Hazel; and her grandson, Eric Carl.

Gladys was a very busy farmwife assisting with farm duties and raising 3 boys. For a time before Don was born, they also raised a nephew, Alan. She had a large garden and no girls, so the responsibility primarily fell on her shoulders. She canned, froze and preserved vast amounts of food each year. She also had the responsibility for 1,000 chickens. Many a family member enjoyed fried chicken, raised on this farm. In her spare time, she enjoyed paint by number kits, crocheting afghans, and embroidered quilt squares for quilts jointly made by herself and sister-in-laws, Mildred, Jessie, and Madie. She also enjoyed bowling. In 1993 Gladys and Carl retired from farming and moved to town. During retirement you would find her daily working on her crossword puzzles and jigsaw puzzles which adorned many of the walls in her home.

See photo here.