Jay Carroll Sharp 1939-2022

After a long battle with cancer, Jay Carroll Sharp passed away on Oct. 16, 2022. Jay was born to Archie Wayne Sharp and Myrtle Irene Sharp in Fort Worth on Oct. 23, 1939. He was one of three boys, with an older brother, Jerrell, and a younger brother, Pat.

Jay graduated from Handley High School, in the Handley community of east Fort Worth, after which he served in the U.S. Army. He was called to service during the Berlin Wall Crisis in 1961 and was stationed at Fort Polk, La. He later served in a reserve unit in Fort Worth for several years.

While attending Arlington State College, one of Jay’s best friends set him up on a blind date with his future wife, Patsy Lenelle Sharp (née Horn). They fell in love and were married on June 2, 1962. Jay and Patsy had two boys, Derek and Jason.

Jay worked in banking for his entire professional career. After several years with Continental National Bank in Fort Worth, he moved to Keller in 1972 to help open Keller State Bank. He served as vice president at KSB for 27 years until the bank was sold to Frost. Following his time at KSB, he served as president of American Nation Bank in Keller until retirement in 2004.  

During his years in Keller, Jay was extremely active with his church and in the community as a member of the Keller Church of Christ where he served as a deacon and chaired the finance committee for many years; he was a member of the Keller Lions Club for over 40 years where he served twice as the club’s president; he was presented with the Melvin Jones Fellow Award to honor his decades of service to the Lions Club; he served 10 years on the board for the Keller Independent School District, five years as president (meaning Derek and Jason could never get away with anything at school); Jay also served as president of the Parker Cemetery Association 25 years.

Jay survived major brain trauma in 2005. He was in ICU at Baylor Hospital in Dallas for over a month and he worked through rehab for a year.

In 2007, Jay and Patsy moved to Mineola to be closer to Patsy’s family. He was very active in that community as well, as a member of the Broad Street Church of Christ and as a volunteer with the Texas Ramp Project, a ministry that builds ramps for older or handicapped members of the community. 

Earlier this year, Jay and Patsy celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary.

Jay is survived by his wife, Patsy; their two sons, Derek, his wife Missy and their children Jordan, Blake and Caroline Findley and husband, Madison Findley; and Jason, his wife Teah and their daughter Lorelei.

Jay will be missed by all those who knew him. His smile and laugh were unmistakable, and his love for his family, friends, church and community were unmatched. In all his activities, Jay was a respected leader. He led with a quiet confidence and was a friend and mentor to many.

In lieu of flowers, the family would ask any friends wanting to honor Jay to donate to either the Texas Ramp Project (P.O. Box 832065, Richardson, TX 75083-2065 – please note that the donation is for the East Texas Emory Region) or the Keller Lions Club (532 E. Keller Parkway, Keller, TX 76248 – attention Jarrett Armstrong).