Garland Sharpless

[b]Obituary
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Garland Sharpless, 85, died Saturday, May 15, 2004, at St. Catherine Center in Waco.

A celebration of his life will be held at the OakCrest Funeral Home Chapel, 4520 Bosque Boulevard, at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, May 18, with the Rev. Sharlande Sledge officiating. Visitation with the family will follow the service.

Garland Lester Sharpless was born June 14, 1918, on a farm in Limestone County, Texas, the eighth and youngest child of Robert Armstead and Annie (Allen) Sharpless. He grew up on his grandparents' farm in Jackson Parish, Louisiana, and was educated in rural schools and Ruston High School. During the New Deal he served in the Civilian Conservation Corps.

In 1939, he moved to Waco to work with his brother-in-law, Davis Hill, at Hill Plumbing Company. In December 1941, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and served four years in the Second Division, spending much of World War II in the South Pacific as a mess sergeant. He fought as an artilleryman at the battles of Saipan, Tinian, and Tarawa.

After the war, he returned to Waco and Hill Plumbing. While visiting San Antonio Machine and Supply Company, he noticed a pretty young woman named Helen Frierson and finagled a blind date with her. After a whirlwind courtship, they were married October 25, 1947, and reared three children.

Garland poured his considerable energies into expanding the commercial construction side of Hill Plumbing. He was extremely proud of the structures that they worked on throughout Texas.

In Waco, these included many buildings at Baylor University and McLennan Community College, Texas Life Insurance, and Texas Farm Bureau. After the end of his career in construction, he and Helen worked together as resident managers for Jack Dunn Properties.

Garland and Helen were active in their churches, including Hillcrest Methodist, Herring Avenue Methodist, and St. Paul's Episcopal Church, where Garland served as junior warden of the vestry. They enjoyed cooking for Meals on Wheels at Cogdell Methodist Church. He coached Little League baseball when his son was young, and for several years sponsored Little League teams under the Hill Plumbing name.

Garland spent his last years battling low vision while taking tender, diligent care of Helen, who died in 2002 after fifty-five years of marriage. He was charming, independent, and creative, with an engineer's knack for solving problems. He loved roses, a good steak, and shrimp in any form. His family will miss his kindness, the twinkle in his blue eyes, and his drawling accent, as well as his strong opinions on current events and his vivid stories of the past.

His older daughter, Sherrie Sharpless Engel, and his oldest grandson, Robert Ables, also preceded him in death.

He is survived by his son, Lester Sharpless, of Colorado Springs, Colorado; daughter, Rebecca Sharpless and her husband, Thomas Charlton, of Waco; grandsons, Joshua Ables and his wife, Jennifer Ables, of Waco, and Nathan Sharpless, of Colorado Springs; granddaughter, Amanda Sharpless, of Colorado Springs; great-grandchildren, Kelli Ables, Jonathan Ables, Kayley Ables, and Trey Ables; and two nieces and two nephews.

The family would like to thank Dr. Scott Smith, whose care prolonged Garland's vision for several years; Dr. Lisa Kirk, his doctor; and the staffs of Providence Medical Center and St. Catherine Center for their amazing and grace-filled work.

Memorial gifts may be made to Meals on Wheels, Central Texas Senior Ministries, 501 W. Waco Drive, 76707.

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