Nell H. Sharpe

Mrs. Nell Haynes Sharpe, age 94, of Cleveland, Tennessee entered the presence of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Saturday, September 14, 2024 at her daughter’s residence in Franklin, Kentucky.

Nell and her identical twin sister, Nancy, two of six children, were born in the Erlanger textile mill village of Lexington, North Carolina on May 10, 1930. Their parents were the late Ernest Carl Haynes and the late Irma Lee Money Haynes of Lexington. Nell was preceded in death by her loving husband of 62 years, Donald Sharpe, and all five of her siblings - Nancy, Edna, Bryce, Marvin, and Don.

She is survived by her daughter, Nancy Anna Scates (Don) of Franklin, Kentucky who loved, cherished, and cared for her until her death. She is also survived by three grandchildren - Jacquelyn McCray (Brendan) of Nashville, Tennessee, Graham Scates (JoAnna) of Lexington, Kentucky, and Andrea Scates-Barrett (Stone) of Louisville, Kentucky. In addition to these loving family members, she is survived by the children of her twin sister - a niece, Angela Dewbrew (George) of Lexington, NC, a nephew, Carl Blackburn, of Lexington, NC, and a niece, Pam Butler (Todd) of Leland, NC. She is also survived by numerous other nieces and nephews, and two sisters-in-law.

Nell was a proud 1957 graduate of Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She was a member of the first class to graduate from the “new” campus after the move to Winston-Salem. She majored in English, and graduated Cum Laude.

For 13 years, she was an excellent high school English grammar, literature, and art teacher in Lexington, NC. Later, she spent four years in Greenwood, Indiana as an elementary and middle school teacher, where she educated students in English, Spanish, art, and social studies. As the cap of her career, she worked for nine years in Cleveland, Tennessee at the M&M Mars candy factory, where she took great delight in performing many fun and interesting jobs, not the least of which was printing the M’s on the M&M’s!

In addition to her career duties, she managed to excel at being a loving wife and mother. She loved many forms of art, and mastered various techniques with oil paint, charcoal, pen and ink, pencil, scratch board and other unusual art techniques that she would share with her art students. She was greatly loved by all of her students, who often praised her later in life for the amazing foundation she gave them in their proficiency with the English language.

Mrs. Sharpe was also active in her community, particularly with the Cleveland High School marching band booster organization when her daughter was a member of the band. She and her husband, Donald, supported the band by working the football concession stand at every home game, participating in various fundraising activities, and chaperoning the band trips.

She was a faithful member of the First Baptist Church in Cleveland, Tennessee for 45 years, where she participated in Sunday School, Bible studies, various activities, and weekly church lunches with her beloved friend group, the Lunch Bunch.

Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Poole Funeral Home, where services will be held at 11:00 AM on Thursday, September 19, 2024. David Walker will be officiating. The family will receive friends on Wednesday, September 18, 2024 from 4 PM to 7 PM, and on Thursday morning from 10 AM to11 AM prior to the service.

Mrs. Sharpe’s body will then be transported to Lexington, North Carolina where a graveside service and interment, conducted by Davidson Funeral Home and officiated by Johnson Gupton, will take place at the Forest Hill Memorial Park at 1:00 PM on Friday, September 20, 2024.

Expressions of sympathy can be made in the form of donations to Samaritan’s Purse, The Gideons International Memorial Bible Program, or Calvary Baptist Church in Franklin, Kentucky, all of whom she loved and supported for many years.