Helen Seawell Sharpe

1927 - 2021

HELEN SEAWELL SHARPE

LUMBERTON — Helen Seawell Sharpe passed away peacefully on Aug. 29 after a graceful decline.

Helen Sharpe enjoyed a full and active life; her list of accomplishments was long.

Achievements include: high school valedictorian, Phi Beta Kappa, masters degree, award-winning writer, state Woman of the Year nomination, member of the Governor's Commission on the Status of Women, community college teacher, world traveler and a driving force in preserving and restoring the Carolina Theater as a civic center.

Helen's most enduring legacies were the establishment of the Robeson County Museum and 15 years of capturing the essence of people, businesses and topics in more than 200 Robeson Remembers articles. She conceived, launched and nurtured both, and was pivotal in their success. The Museum endures today and Robeson Remembers was made possible due to the collaboration and contributions of area historians, writers, engaged citizens and extraordinary volunteers. Helen's story was captured in the final Robeson Remembers article, published in The Robesonian on Aug. 3, 2014.

Helen Seawell was born Jan. 11, 1927 in St. Pauls and was the older of two daughters of Merton and Eva Allen Seawell. She graduated from St. Pauls High School and the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. Helen would later earn a Masters in History at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her sister, Joyce Scardiglia; and her beloved husband of 59 years, John Allen "Jack" Sharpe Jr., the longtime editor and publisher of The Robesonian.

Helen's first job after college was as county reporter for The Robesonian. After her marriage to Jack, she would continue to work for the newspaper in various capacities, most notably preparing the 1952 Comprehensive historical edition and later writing the popular "Ramblings" column. The Sharpe family owned The Robesonian and a number of other area newspapers for 75 years prior to their sale in 1982.

Helen is survived by her three sons, John Allen Sharpe III and wife, Ann, of Hillsborough, Rear Admiral (Ret.) Cliff Sharpe and wife, Brenda, of Southern Pines, and Hal Sharpe and wife, Olga, of Quebec City; eight grandchildren, John Allen Sharpe IV and wife, Tammy, of Tallahassee, Florida, Meredith Eagan of Raeford, Anastasia Cooper and husband, David, of Durham, Erin Lekavich and husband, Greg, of Gastonia, Cliff Sharpe Jr., of Southern Pines, Kelsey Gonzalez and husband, Kario, of Whispering Pines, and Pasha and Sophia Sharpe of Quebec City; seven great-grandchildren; and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews.

Helen Sharpe will be long remembered as a loving mother, community journalist, poet, historian and community activist.

The family would like to extend a special thank you to Jo Ann Dudney and her staff at Loving Hearts Home Care for their exceptional kindness, care, love and support in Helen's last years.

A small graveside service will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021 at 11 a.m. at Meadowbrook Cemetery. A Celebration of Life will be held at Chestnut Street United Methodist Church on Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021 at 11 a.m.

Memorial contributions may be made to Robeson County History Museum, P.O. Box 2503, Lumberton, N.C. 28359; or Chestnut Street United Methodist Church, 200 East Eighth Street, Lumberton, N.C. 28358.

From the closing lines of her Poem, "Flying": I'm glad I paused to look, to feel, to rejoice.