Joe Sharpe

Joe Sharpe left this world too soon on October 17, 2023. Born in Detroit, Michigan on September 25, 1970, Joe was the eldest of three sons to Sharon Persha, seating him in the natural role of caretaker to anyone he encountered throughout his life. 

 He married the love of his life, Tammy, on March 9, 1996. They met on a dance floor and continued to dance together for 27 years of marriage. The two have three children, Beth, Zach, and Josh. 

 Although he spent his early life in Michigan, Joe fondly referred to his teenage years in Daytona, Florida with an air of youthful glee. The beach was always the place he played the hardest. His three kids combined were never able to match his energy and excitement as he crashed against the waves, showed his talents in skim boarding on the flat shorelines, and used his phenomenal strength to launch his kids into the water. 

His exterior was brute force and weathered with sun, at his core, Joe had the heart and intentions of a gleeful kid. “We’re all just kids on the inside,” he told his daughter on his last birthday. He surely lived up to that sentiment. Joe’s ability to connect and grow relationships through youth fellowship groups throughout the years did not go unnoticed by the hearts he touched. The pure and genuine desire to see and befriend those around him is a trait his family all strived to match. 

His compassion was infinite. He never met an animal he didn’t like. From parking lot ducks and baby alligators in retention streams, to rescued Chihuahuas from the occasional HVAC job, his camera roll is the primary indicator of his gentle disposition. 

When he wasn’t working, Joe enjoyed repairing Midway games, lifting “weights of massive proportions” (as quoted by a doctor signing off on a recovered injury) at the gym, drinking chai lattes, eating sweets, and singing whatever thought was in his head at the time. 

We invite you to listen to and share stories of Joe’s fondness for eighties Glam Bands, flat top haircuts, directionally challenged mishaps, and any other stories of this amazing human on Saturday, October 21, 2023, from 2:00 to 4:00 pm at Chancellor Funeral Home in Florence, MS.