Jocelyn Cohen Sharp of Nashville, TN (and formerly of Memphis, TN) passed away on August 26, 2024, after a brief series of strokes. Just two weeks shy of her 93rd birthday, she left this earthly world peacefully, in the early morning hours, with son Bart and daughter Vicki holding her hands.
She was predeceased by husband Donald Eugene Sharp and granddaughter Jane Sharp.
She is survived by children Randi, Bart, Vicki, and David, children-in-law Ron, Jennifer, and Kathleen, grandchildren Andrew, Natalie, and Genevieve “Vivi”, granddaughter-in-law Kirstin, and great-grandchildren Leagan & Ellis.
[Official names of children: Randi Kaye Sharp Bourdages & husband Ron, of Birmingham, AL; William Barton Sharp & wife Jennifer, of Donelson; Vicki Leanne Sharp, of Smyrna; David Clinton Sharp & wife Kathleen, of Memphis]
Early years: Born Clara Jocelyn Cohen, the only child of William M. and Hazel Beal Cohen, in Memphis, TN on Sept. 9, 1931. She was known by friends and family as “Jockey”, or “Jock”. It being the Great Depression, both her parents had to work long hours, so she was largely raised by her grandmother Clara Beal. Little Jockey loved all her aunts & uncles, and loved her cousin Jeanie Patur like a sister. She lived for the summers when Jeanie would come down from Connecticut, and they could play to their hearts’ content. The Cohens had a farm in Memphis in those days, and Jockey grew up riding horses. When she received a horse of her own at 10 years old, she wrote in her diary, “I got my horse today. It was the happiest day in my life.”
High School: Graduated in 1949 from L.C. Humes High School. Yes, that was the same high school Elvis Presley attended, and in fact, they were there at the same time. She didn’t know him, though; he was four years behind her. The light of her life in high school was Donald E. Sharp. They met in band, he a drummer, she a clarinetist and majorette. She became his ROTC sponsor in 1948, graduated in 1949, and they married in 1950.
Marriage and Children: Married Donald Eugene Sharp, August 4, 1950, in Memphis, TN. From 1951-53, they lived in North Carolina, in the vicinity of Cherry Point Marine Base, where Don was stationed during the Korean War. Their first daughter Randi was born there. After that, they returned to Memphis, and had son Bart during that time. In 1962, they moved to Nashville, where daughter Vicki and son David were born.
Work: Early in life, Jocelyn worked in her parents’ neighborhood grocery store. After high school, she went to Business School, and worked for Memphis Light, Gas and Water. After moving to North Carolina, she worked for a hotel & restaurant on the coast, until Randi was born. Although she loved working in business, she was a full-time mother & homemaker, until all of her children were in school. After David started school, she worked for a number of years at the Sheraton Hotel, which was in walking distance from home, and then became the Executive Assistant for the Tennessee Pro Golf Association (PGA/TGA), a job she loved, and which also included some major travel, which she cherished. She retired in 1990.
Religion: Jocelyn’s father was Jewish, and she also went to Temple. Her confirmation at Temple Israel in Memphis was on June 5, 1946. When she married, she chose to bring her children up Protestant, like their father.
Lifelong friends included Marie & Wilson Johnson, Barbara & Bobby Lamberth, and Norma Jean & Sidney Morman. She was predeceased by all except Marie Johnson. It has always been a delight to hear the volumes of stories they all had to tell.
Activities: She was not only an excellent cook, but also an expert seamstress. She made clothing, dance costumes, doll wardrobes, and as an elementary school room mother, even made colorful and durable stuffed animals, quite ahead of her time. She had a passion for water-skiing, and in the late 50’s-early 60’s in Memphis, was an award winning skier, in both jump-skiing, and trick-skiing. In 1956, she helped Don and his father build a cabin on the Tennessee River. And when I say she helped, she was out there, hammering, helping with the power saw, handling lumber, actively helping to build it. She was smart, strong, and resilient, and prided herself on staying fit, all the way to the end.
Travel: Jocelyn loved to travel; she lived to travel, and she was blessed to have had many wonderful and exciting trips and experiences in her long lifetime. May the journey she has just embarked on be the best one ever!
A small graveside memorial service will be held at Woodlawn Cemetery on September 21 at 11:00 am. Arrive early and meet in the lobby of the funeral home, if desired. https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/nashville-tn
For more obituaries visit https://davidsoncountysource.com/obituaries/
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