John Sharpe
March 7, 1944 ~ February 28, 2023
Born in:
Cripple Creek , Colorado
Resided in:
Colorado City, Colorado
Author, John Sharpe, 78, a Colorado native whose family lineage included lawmen, ranchers, miners, and businessmen – with a couple of school teachers thrown in for balance – passed away on Feb. 28, 2023. From selling donkey rides and gold ore specimens on the summer streets of Cripple Creek, Colo. until he retired from commercial lending in 2007, John had been training to write fiction, whether he knew it or not. If it took a bushel full of experiences to write a novel, John had cultivated a small orchard. He’d been a teacher, a loan officer, a bartender, a fry cook, a real estate agent, an insurance salesman, a freelance writer, a photographer, and a magazine editor. He’d bucked bales, poured concrete, built fences, and pumped gas. He’d been bucked off donkeys, horses, steers, bulls, and one insulted sow. John would be the first to tell you that he wasn’t a cowboy. Even the sow agreed.
John will be missed by a variety of friends from his many adventures.
Preceded in death by his beloved wife, Cyrenne “Cy” Phinney-Sharpe; parents, Richard and Pauline (McMillan) Sharpe; and sister, Barbara Dorsey.
Celebration of Life will be held 10 a.m. Saturday, May 6, 2023, at the Elks Lodge, 375 East Bennett Ave., Cripple Creek, CO 80813. Online condolences at www.MontgomerySteward.com
Cy and John were wonderful neighbors for many years, we’re very happy they’re reunited in eternal life, miss you and love you both
“Out where the handclasp’s a little stronger,
Out where the smile dwells a little longer,
That’s where the West begins;
Out where the sun is a little brighter,
Where the snows that fall are a trifle whiter,
Where the bonds of home are a wee bit tighter,
That’s where the West begins.
Out where the skies are a trifle bluer,
Out where the friendship’s a little truer,
That’s where the West begins;
Out where a fresher breeze is blowing,
Where there’s laughter in every streamlet flowing,
Where there’s more of reaping and less of sowing,
That’s where the West begins.
Out where the world is in the making,
Where fewer hearts in despair are aching,
That’s where the West begins.
Where there’s more of singing and less of sighing,
Where there’s more of giving and less of buying,
And a man makes a friend without half trying—
That’s where the West begins.”
– by Arthur Chapman
* * *
John was a true man of the West, a talented and unique individual, and it was an honor and privilege to know him. With gratitude and admiration, we will see you down the trail…
Kathy & Jim Reynolds
On behalf of the Greenhorn Valley Library Book Club, John’s presence will be greatly missed. His thoughful comments and keen intelligence added a great dimension to our monthly discussions. We really appreciated an author’s prespective. We will miss him.
I was blessed to have known John and Cy. They were wonderful people and great neighbors. REST IN PEACE!🙏