PENELOPE SHARP

SHARP--Penelope Chester,

of Northford, CT and Fishers Island, NY died peacefully at home on December 14 at age 76. Born and raised in Greenwich, CT, Penni graduated from Miss Porter's School, Sarah Lawrence College and earned a Master of Forest Science degree from the Yale School of Forestry. An accomplished botanist and wetland biologist, she worked as a consultant for municipal and private clients and held leadership positions in numerous environmental organizations in Connecticut. On Fishers Island she served as president of the Henry L. Ferguson Museum and its Land Trust from 2003 until her death and shared her considerable knowledge of the natural world with all who knew her. Fond of music, she also sang with Cappella Cantorum. A devoted mother and grandmother, she loved being with her son and daughter and her four beloved grandchildren. She is survived by her husband, Gregory A. Sharp, her son, Stephen M. McPherson, Jr., her daughter, Eugenie McPherson Trevor, her grandchildren, Ashlyn and Alexa McPherson, and John B. Trevor V and Eliza T. Trevor, her sister Clare Stone, her brothers Colby M. Chester, IV and Geoffrey Chester, five nieces, a nephew and her Labrador. A celebration of Penni's life will be held at a later date. Donations, in lieu of flowers, may be made to Cappella Cantorum or the Henry L. Ferguson Museum.