Bruce L. Sharp

Bruce L. Sharp, 62, of Dyer, IN, passed away April 23, 2013 with his wife and family at his side. Bruce is survived by his devoted and loving wife, Donna; his adoring parents, Howard & Ramona (McDaniel) Sharp of Beecher, IL; his caring brothers and sister-in-law, Thomas & Delinda Sharp of Lynwood, IL and Gordon Sharp of Monee, IL; several kind and supportive inlaws including Bernadette & Donald Colanduoni of Middlesex, NJ, Patricia Patrick of Irmo, SC, Susan & John Irey of Bridgewater, NJ, and Paul & Kelly Connelly of Gillette, WY; two generations of nieces and nephews, including Maria, Eric & Logan Rosenwald of Algonquin, IL, Bradley Sharp of Lansing, IL, Matthew Sharp of Dyer, IN, Bernadette, Scott & Nina Danner of Green Brook, NJ, and Nathan Schell & Gretta Schell of Naperville, IL; uncles and aunt, Morris & Janet McDaniel of Carbondale, IL, and Gary McDaniel of Marion, KY; three generations of extraordinary cousins; many treasured friends. Bruce is preceded in death by his son, Trevor Connelly Sharp. Bruce was born in Carbondale, IL to Howard & Ramona Sharp on a cold January day. Shortly thereafter, he settled with his parents in the Roseland area on the South Side of Chicago; he was raised and educated there and was a graduate of Fenger High School. Bruce was a baseball enthusiast and played on a number of Little League teams, including absurdly enough a team called the Cubs. His South Side loyalty was not swayed, however, as Bruce was a life-long, die-hard avid fan of the Chicago White Sox and enjoyed attending the games with Donna and friends and was a season ticketholder for the last few years. Immediately following high school, Bruce was employed by the then Illinois Central Gulf Railroad in Chicago, IL (which became the Illinois Central Railroad and most recently the Canadian National Railroad) from which he retired after 42 years of service. He was a third-generation railroader following in the footsteps of both grandfathers, both parents and his uncle, and where his brother and cousin remain in the rank and file. As a young man, Bruce relocated to Calumet City, IL. For many a year, Bruce played 16-inch softball on a number of teams for the ICRR and in the south suburbs; he played bocce ball and bowled on various leagues in the south suburbs. He was a member of a social club, The Ruthers; and it was through one of their outings to Tampa, FL, that Bruce met his bride, Donna. They married at a church ceremony in Florida in 1986. A year later, Bruce and Donna settled in Dyer, IN making it their home. Bruce was a simple man that truly valued his family, both immediate and extended; gatherings and activities with family and friends of whatever nature and kind brought him so much joy. Bruce loved celebrating and getting into character for Halloween with family and friends, and through the years portrayed an array of monsters. He was a western buff, John Wayne was his idol, and he spent many late nights watching old westerns with his Granny who always had chocolate pie and ice cream on hand for her oldest grandson. James Bond was also a favorite. Reading sports statistics on the college and professional levels was one of his hobbies as well as reading true crime stories, in particular concerning organized crime of old. Bruce was a music aficionado and had a collection of several genre from R&B to soul to rock & roll to the blues to Cajun to classical to country. Bruce will always be remembered as a very gentle, considerate and determined individual. Cancer took his body, but Bruce’s essence will remain in our hearts forever. He is not gone; he has gone ahead. Godspeed my Love, sweet dreams my Love! Visitation will be on Friday, April 26, 2013 from 3:00-8:00 PM at Kish Funeral Home, 10000 Calumet Ave. Munster, IN. Funeral service will be Saturday, 12:30 PM at the funeral home with a 1:00 PM Mass of Christian Burial at St. Maria Goretti Church, 500 Northgate Dr. Dyer, IN. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials in Bruce’s name be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital www.stjude.org or gifted to the college fund of a child to further their education.