Louise Turner Sharp

Life, if we’re fortunate, is composed of a whole bunch of different versions of self.

Anna Louise Turner Sharp, Weezie, was a woman who had a lot of versions.

First, she was a child. Born to John Vaughn and Willie Kate Turner in a humble house in the country in the fall of 1938, October 3. It was a Monday.

She was the third of four children. An older brother, Carrol. Claude C. Turner married Gwynn and they had two sons, Mark and Kieth. “Aunt Lou” loved them both very much.

Nell, really Flora Nell, was born with a heart defect after her mother suffered German Measles during pregnancy. She passed away at the age of 6, when Louise was just a toddler.

She was an active child, if not a little mischievous. She loved being outside, climbing trees and playing with her friends. She wanted a cowgirl outfit and a black horse for Christmas. Instead, she got a younger sister, Linda Kate.

She was now a big sister. She loved this role, even if she wouldn’t often admit it. She was very good at it. Except for the times she made her eat mud pies and hid from her in trees.

She grew up a little. Not too much, she was only 5’2. But she didn’t let that stop her from being involved in as many sports as she could. She played softball, but basketball was her love. She was great. She fell in love with the sport. In later versions, she would coach an elementary girls basketball team to be the district champions. Even benching her own great niece to secure the win. She loved watching women’s basketball, especially the Lady Vols.

She graduated high school in 1956. Her graduating class was something special. It wasn’t big, but they were very close. She had a best friend, Becky Grubbs. She and Becky, and the entire class, stayed friends for their entire lives. They celebrated their 70-year class reunion this year.

She went on to a new version, Kentucky resident. She went to school and studied to be an x-ray technician and was a pioneer in a male-dominated medical field. She went on to lead a staff at a hospital and was dedicated to her patients in a way that is rare. She trail-blazed and built a career.

She became Aunt Lou again to Danny, Amanda and Shannon when her sister had her three children. She didn’t know when she looked at those little babies, that she would have lifelong friends.

She also found a new version of herself: wife. She married her high school sweetheart, Ed Sullivan. They loved one another but had different paths in life. Then she met Jackie Sharp. He saw the special woman she was and made her his wife.

Together, they welcomed Sheila. Louise became a favorite version of herself. A mother. She worked long hours and would come home to play on the floor. She loved dressing her beautifully and enjoyed loving her. They had a beautiful family. Lots of dogs over the years, even a few cows. She thought often of the farm they shared and in her later life, took herself to that young mom in her twenties. The green grass and the ranch home they built and made beautiful memories in.

But she wasn’t afraid to reinvent herself if she had to. She pulled a new version of herself out and moved right along. You can’t keep a good woman down, she’d say.

She got to be a grandmother, Anna and Elizabeth were born to Sheila and her husband, Drew. Louise learned a love that was just as strong as being a mother. She was so proud of everything they would do.

She moved back home to Bells. She took care of her aging parents. She was a loving and devoted daughter.

She became another favorite version of herself: Weezie. When her great niece, Chelsea, was born, she found a new little red-haired shadow.

She was a firm believer in Jesus Christ. She didn’t just own a Bible, she read it, and she read it every day. She used scripture to give advice and to make decisions. She would say she would pray for you and actually do it.

She loved her church, loved her Sunday School class, and loved time spent in the kitchen with her friends at Walnut Hill Baptist Church.

She loved being Weezie to Chelsea’s two children with her husband Cody, Winnie and Lottie Louise. She kept popsicles in the freezer and a dollhouse in the floor. She loved them and thought of them all the time.

She loved being granny to her great-grandchildren, Austin, Emma Lou and Ann. She made many trips back and forth to North Alabama. She watched them grow into wonderful young people. She was so proud of them.

She was all these versions, and more. She was fun. She loved beautiful things and really good pant suit. She loved college basketball and watching golf on a summer afternoon. She loved her garden and grilling outside. She loved to go to lunch with a friend. She loved music - real music. None of that mess made after 1970.

She loved to wake up early, drink her black coffee, pet her cat “Cotton”, have a cookie or two for breakfast and go out and help someone.

She leaves behind most of these people mentioned. She is preceded by her parents, her sister Nell, her sister Linda, her nephews Kieth and Danny. If you were fortunate enough to know any version of Anna Louise Sharp, thank the Good Lord. He let us borrow her for 87 years, 10 months and 22 days. And now the version she gets to be is the one with her Lord and Savior. She is made whole and new again. You sure can’t keep a good woman down.