Elizabeth Louise Sharp was born June 18, 1940 to Adolph Henry and Rose Ann Schulte in Tulia, Texas. She instantly was Daddy's girl and was doted on until her father's death in 1969. During her childhood she was referred to as "Betty Lou". In fact, she did not know her full legal name until she was graduating from high school.
After high school, Betty Lou went to nursing school and became an RN. During her career, she worked in a psychiatrist's office and several hospitals in and around Amarillo, Texas and Florence, Colorado. This continued for 25 years until health issues forced her to retire.
Betty Lou was always an independent woman and had no intention of settling down. That was until she was set up on a blind date with Bill James Sharp. Bill knew immediately that she was the one and proposed to her on their 2nd date. He told her she couldn't get out of the car until she said yes. She said yes just to appease him at that point. However, Bill was persistent and made Betty Lou fall in love with him. They were married on March 27, 1967.
After getting married, Bill and Betty enjoyed traveling and the couple's life. That was until they welcomed their daughter, Kimberly, to the family. She was followed by Samuel three years later and surprised by Kevin 18 months later.
Even with a full family Bill and Betty always found time to play games, such as Yahtzee, cards and dice with friends and family. Their life together with their family took them from Texas to Colorado, where they lived until Bill's death in 2010.
Betty enjoyed being a mom and was always available for her kids and grandkids. If she wasn't teaching them to count by playing 21, she might be playing video games with them (Pac-Man and QBert being some of her favorites), or in her kitchen making cookies with them. In recent years she was able to influence her grandchildren with her sweet tooth, always having a Hershey's KISS, 3 Musketeers, wafer cookie, ice cream or some other sweet ready to share.
Betty was the sports fan of the family. You could always hear her yelling out loud to one of her favorite teams. Watching the Denver Broncos, the Fighting Irish, and Jeff Gordon racing his car were always at the top of her list and in her later years the Boise State Broncos.
Following the death of Bill, Betty came to live in Boise. She enjoyed Idaho and was able to experience some things she had always wanted to. She loved Shoshone Falls, drives in the mountains, eating out (especially Mexican food) and spending time with family. Betty was able to travel some the last few years, enjoying Yellowstone, Coeur d'alene and an Alaskan cruise which the entire family and close family friends were all able to accompany her on.
Though the past couple years presented many health challenges, Betty was resilient, always had a can do attitude and gave it a good fight. She was deeply loved and will be greatly missed. She passed away on Tuesday, February 20, 2018.
Betty was preceded in death by her parents; two brothers; two sisters; and her beloved Bill.
She is survived by her children, Kimberly Brown (Cliff), of Boise; sons: Samuel Sharp (Kyra), of Denver, CO, and Kevin Sharp (Angie), of Boise; and five grandchildren, Justin, Kendra, Alexea, Serenity and Kelton; sister, Rosella Curry; and numerous nephews and nieces.
A visitation will be held on Thursday, March 1, 2018 from 6:00-8:00 pm at Bowman Funeral Parlor located at 10254 W. Carlton Bay Garden City, Idaho.
A Graveside service will be held on Friday March 2, 2018 at 2:00 pm at Dry Creek Cemetery, located at 9600 Hill Road Boise, Idaho.