LOU EMMA SHARPE

Lou Emma Sharpe, a beloved mother, grandmother, sister and friend, passed away peacefully on February 7, 2026, in Avon, Indiana. Born and raised in Indianapolis, Lou lived a life with strength, compassion and purpose.

Born the fourth of six children to Robert and Eula (Johnson) McIntyre, Lou grew up in a close-knit family that valued love, hard work and faith. A proud graduate of the Crispus Attucks High School, Class of 1951. She began her professional life at Indiana Bell Telephone Company before pursuing her true calling-nursing. She earned her Registered Nurse certification from St. Vincent School of Nursing in 1956 and went on to touch countless lives through her work.

She embarked upon her nursing career began at Larue D. Carter Memorial Hospital, where she served with distinction as the head psychiatric nurse until 1963.  Having been joined in Holy Matrimony with Leroy Sharpe, Lou briefly stepped away  from working to raise her sons, before returning to her career with the Indiana Department of Health in 1972.  Her care, professionalism, and quiet leadership made a lasting     impact on those she worked with and those she served. She retired from the Indiana Department of Health in December of 1994.

Lou found joy in life’s simple but meaningful pleasures. She also enjoyed many tourist destinations as an avid traveler. She loved to get    behind the wheel and take drives, visiting local places throughout the MidWest. A passionate reader and lifelong learner, she always believed in the power of education and self-betterment. Her sense of righteousness and respect for others guided the way she lived-steady, sincere, and filled with purpose.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Robert and Eula (Johnson) McIntyre; her husband, Leroy A. Sharpe, Sr.; her brothers, John C. McIntyre and Robert A. McIntyre, and her sister, Marian (McIntyre) Linthecomb.

Lou’s legacy continues through her sons Leroy A. (Andrea) Sharpe, Jr. and Edward E. Sharpe; her cherished granddaughter, Marley Sharpe; her sisters, Eula (Vernon) Oliver, and Wilma (Michael) Pitts, and a host of nieces and nephews, cousins, and dear friends who will forever hold her memory close.

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