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Beatrice Sharpe

Beatrice J. Sharpe, 85, of Watertown, died on February 2, 2005, at St. Mary's Hospital in Madison.

Funeral services were held at Christ United Methodist Church with the Rev. Lee Meissner officiating.

Private family burial took place in Oak Hill Cemetery.

The Pederson Funeral Home served the family.

Mrs. Sharpe was born September 3, 1919, in Wauwatosa, daughter of Benjamin F. and Florence D. Gridley. She attended schools in Wauwatosa and Oconomowoc. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and did graduate work in social work at the University of Chicago and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

She married Sgt. David W. Sharpe on Jan. 4, 1945, and they lived in Idaho for 10 years before returning to Wisconsin where they had a small farm south of Watertown for nine years. They were the parents of four children and served as 4-H leaders in Jefferson County for more than 10 years.

Mrs. Sharpe was a social worker at the Methodist Deaconess Orphanage in Lake Bluff, Ill., prior to her marriage. She served as a social worker at the Dodge County Department of Social Services for 22 years until her retirement. She was a life-long member of the Methodist Church and Daughters of the American Revolution, Fort Atkinson-Eli Pierce Chapter, serving as registrar.

She was a genealogist and wrote several books on family history. She was working on her autobiography at the time of her death. Her hobbies included needlework, other crafts and gardening.

Surviving are her four children, David (Delcie) Sharpe of Bozeman, Mont., Ben G. Sharpe of Seattle, Wash., Mary (Philip) Reykdal of Wauwatosa, and Sally (Todd) Van Kleeck of Indianapolis, Ind.; nine grandchildren, Heather Paul, Alicia, Robin and Ross Reykdal, William, Jason, Robert, James and Elizabeth Van Kleeck; four great-grandchildren, Stephanie, Rachel and Danielle Taylor, and Payton Van Kleeck; a sister, Marjorie (Wayne) Overturf of Oconomowoc; a brother, Robert Gridley of Oconomowoc; a nephew, Wesley Overturf; three nieces, Dr. Darcy Overturf, Donna (Dwight) Paris and Sandra (Klaus) Witzmann; and a lifelong friend of 79 years, Gretchen Strauss.

Mrs. Sharpe was preceded in death by her husband in 1969 and her parents.