Elwood Nelson Sharpe Sr.

PRESTON - Elwood Nelson Sharpe Sr., 60, passed away on Thursday, Nov. 1, 2007, at Memorial Hospital in Easton.

He was born on June 9, 1947, in Preston, to Virginia and the late Otis Nelson Sharpe. He was the oldest of their six children and a brother to many foster sisters and brothers. He had a very special relationship with his grandparents, the late Maynard and Geneva Murray.

He attended the Jonestown Elementary School in Jonestown and in 1965 he graduated from Lockerman High School in Denton. Elwood excelled in math and history. He was accepted and began classes at Maryland State College in Princess Anne. Later he decided to move to Philadelphia, and he worked in various industries including Budd's Car Parts Manufacturer, Nabisco Co. and Hanneman Hospital.

While residing in Philadelphia, he met his wife, Brenda. He returned to Maryland and married her on June 28, 1980, after a nine-year courtship.

For the past several years he was employed as a supervisor at Shore Health Courier Service. He didn't want to miss any time from work, not even when he became ill.

Elwood attended Mount Pleasant UMC.

Family history was important to him. He loved taking care of plants, working in his garden and had methodical way of cutting his grass.

He is survived by Brenda, his wife of 27 years; five children, Marchelle Smith (Anthony), Finchville, Gail Brown (Marvin) and Elwood Nelson Sharpe Jr. (all of Preston), Aaron Greene (Vanessa), Newport News, Va., and Angie Camper (Anthony), Easton; his mother, Virginia Sharp (Preston); mother-in-law, Beatrice Patton (Philadelphia, Pa.); three brothers, Larry Sharpe (Rosie), Preston, Sherwood Sharpe (Roberta), Sharptown and Sherman Sharpe Sr. (Dover, Del.), five foster brothers, William Jones (Bridgeville, Del.), Stanley Cephus (Baltimore), Charles Cephus (Ruth), Cambridge, Tony Cephus (Karen), Denton and Wendell Cephus (Washington, DC); four sisters, Carol Dotson Lee (Cambridge), Barbara Holmes (Paul) and Verna Jenkins (all of Preston), and Loretta Martin (Ron), St. Thomas, Virgin Islands; two foster sisters, Mary E. Jones (Hilton), Bridgeville, Del., and Frances Coulbourn (Salisbury); six grandchildren, with two of whom he had a special bond, Antoine Patton (Cambridge) and Jackie Sharpe (Alexandria, La.); two great-aunts, Mary Sharpe and Freida Murray (Preston); seven sisters-in-law, numerous cousins, nieces, nephews and friends.

A sister, Alvola Frazier preceded him in death.

Funeral services will be held at noon Saturday at Mount Calvary UM Church, 22903 Dover Bridge Road, Preston. Burial will follow in Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Preston. There will be a viewing Friday from 6-8 p.m. at the church and two hours prior to the services. The Henry Funeral Home, PA in Cambridge is handling the arrangements.