John Sharp

John William Sharp, 88, passed away on June 9th, 2020 at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, IL.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, June 13, 2020, at McMullin-Young Funeral Home, Sullivan, IL. Visitation will be held an hour prior to the services Saturday at the funeral home. Burial will be Greenhill Cemetery, Sullivan, with Military Rites by the Sullivan American Legion Post #68. Please wear a face mask and practice social distancing for the services. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the Illinois chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association and the Central Christian Church in Seymour, IN.

If you asked a hundred people who John William Sharp was, they’d all give you a different story. He was a husband. A father. An avid Cardinal baseball fan. A lover of sports and Illini Basketball. A grandfather. A professional Fisherman. The tallest man in the world. A leader. But, no matter what version of the story you’d hear, it seemed as though he was all of the above.

John was born February 17th 1932 in Bruce, IL. to his parents Charles and Leola (Waite) Sharp. From a young age, John was involved in many activities and was a very active in the community. He could often be found playing basketball and baseball and with competitive, yet kind hearted determination. He graduated from Sullivan high school and was a Veteran of the United States Air Force. He was married to, Carolyn Shedelbower King on November 6th, 1971 in Tolono, IL.

He worked as a sales manager for Midway Supplies in Seymour, IN, while also taking on many leadership roles in different communities. John coached many little league and travelling teams in Tolono, IL and Seymour, IN. and played a major role in creating the Village of Tolono’s park district. He had a God-given ability to communicate with everyone, young and old. He also served as the Commander and Vice Commander of the American Legion. John donated many hours to service projects and charities including the Christmas Miracle Project and President and past President of the Sertoma (SERvice to mankind) in Seymour, IN.

He is survived by his wife Carolyn Sharp and his children, Tammy Beaird (Ron Beaird), Timothy Sharp (Adrian Kok), Tracy Wilson (James Wilson) and Trudy Godsell (Michael Godsell) along with his step children Robbie King (Julie Zike) and Connie Downey and Lisa King. John was the proud grandfather of 14 grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren.

John is preceded in death by his parents, Charles and Leola Sharp.
Condolences may be offered to the family at www.mcmullinyoung.com