William Henry Sharp, 90, of Rice Lake, WI, died Wednesday, February 1, 2023.

He was born on October 13, 1932, in Denver Township, Michigan to Ralph and Agnes Sharp.

He told many stories of happy times spent with his parents and his two older brothers, Bob and Jack, on the farm. In elementary school he started playing baseball, igniting a lifelong love of the game. He met his sweetheart, Damaris, in high school and they got married just before his deployment overseas in 1953. He spent the next year primarily in Germany, and he spoke of that year as a challenging time full of interesting experiences, a turning point in his life between childhood and adulthood. He returned home to Michigan in December of 1954, and he and Damaris began family life in earnest. They moved to Wisconsin shortly after the birth of their eldest daughter, Debbie, who was soon followed by Mike, Cindy, and Penny. He attended Milwaukee School of Engineering on the GI Bill. They built a wonderful life together as a family, and they became strongly connected to the various communities in which they lived in as they moved around Wisconsin following his work as an engineer. In 1995, they fulfilled their dream of retiring to a lake house in Rice Lake, WI, and had so many happy memories there. They also made the most of their retirement by traveling with their fifth wheel down south escaping many winters and getting to spend time with Damaris’s brother Darrell and his wife Madeline in Arizona. He and Damaris were avid sports fans, following professional, college, and local sports teams, in addition to those of their grandkids! They always looked for ways to serve their communities, and he took a lot of pride in the work he did with the Golden Kiwanis in Rice Lake. He spent many hours delivering Meals on Wheels and Lifelines, and he and Damaris were very active in their beloved church community at United Presbyterian Church of Rice Lake. In addition to his community service, he enjoyed spending time with friends, whether playing cards, bowling, or golfing, and he truly loved spending time on the water fishing, a love that he passed down to many of his grandchildren. They shared so many happy times in both their big house on the hill in Tomah and then their house on the lake with their always growing family. On the occasion of Bill’s seventieth birthday, Damaris wrote a book about his life, and she ended it with these words that summed him up as well as any: “It appears he can strike up a conversation with just about anybody probably because he is such a good listener. We all celebrate our extreme good fortune that he is our husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. Thank you for demonstrating for all of us how to be a good competitor in a gracious manner, how to be a good friend, how to give back in the community you live in, how to have a strong work ethic, and how to be a devoted family person.” It gives us great comfort to imagine he and Damaris reunited, though he will be so greatly missed.

He is survived by his four children, Debbie (Steve) Olson of Minneapolis, MN, Michael Sharp of Burlington, IA, Cindy (Roger) Habeck of Tomah, WI, and Penny Sharp of Marshfield, WI. He is also survived by his ten adoring grandchildren and thirteen great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at 1:30 pm on Wednesday, February 15, 2023 at Appleyard’s Funeral Home in Rice Lake, with interment at the Northern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Spooner, WI. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to United Presbyterian Church, 20 W. Messenger St., Rice Lake, WI, 54868 or to the Rice Lake Golden K Club PO Box 223, Rice Lake WI, 54868.

The family would also like to thank Allina Hospice for providing gentle guidance and support for Bill’s final days at home with his family.

Last Update: Feb 03, 2023 2:23 pm CST