SHARP

AUDREY J.

Age 92, died peacefully with family by her side, at Juniper Village at Brookline in State College, PA, on December 26, 2025. She was born on July 7, 1933, in Greencastle, Northern Ireland. She had nine siblings.

During WWII, while her father and three siblings were serving in the military, their home was bombed and destroyed by the Germans. The next few years, until the war ended, she, her mother, and four other siblings were refugees.They were able to stay together until the end of the war, and Audrey had particularly fond memories of living on a farm in the Irish countryside, as well as at a seaside cottage. After the war, her family was reunited in Belfast, where she finished her schooling and began employment, first at a paper factory and then a tobacco factory.

In 1955, at a dance in Belfast, she met a U.S. Navy serviceman, George R. Sharp, Jr., who was on leave from his ship docked at the port in Belfast. They had a whirlwind romance that culminated in their marriage in Leoti, Kansas, in 1957. They relocated to Stillwater, Oklahoma, where their son, Kerbin, was born and then moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where they welcomed their daughter, Avril. In 1967, after George obtained his doctorate in Nuclear Engineering from New Mexico State University, they settled near Pittsburgh, PA.

Audrey had a passion for music and always had the radio on. She was often seen singing and dancing around the house and could never understand how anyone could sit still if there was music playing! She was a person who exuded kindness, grace, compassion, and love of family and friends. She enjoyed walking, especially on the beach. Her happy place was anywhere near the ocean, and she longed for a "wee Irish cottage by the sea." Once George retired, they became snowbirds, traveling to Florida every winter. While it wasn't her "wee Irish Cottage," she was always eager to spend a few months in Florida, on the intercostal waterway, one-fourth-mile from the ocean, where smelling the sea air sent her back to her childhood in Ireland.

Audrey was preceded in death by her loving husband, George; her parents, James and Doris (Leverington) McKee; sisters, Vera (Dick) Henneberry, Kathleen (Rudy) Gross, and Avril Leverington; and brothers, Jimmy McKee, Alex (Emily) McKee, and Ivan McKee; and two siblings who died in early childhood. She is survived by her sister, Patricia (Tommy) Evans of Carrickfergus, N. Ireland; her son, Kerbin (Nanci) Sharp of Bethel Park, PA; her daughter, Avril (Joel) Haight of Boalsburg, PA; grandson, Derrick (Eren) Sharp; granddaughters, Natasha (Kevin) Wray and Alana (Mark) Bergner; great-grandchildren, Wesley, Henry, Layla and Grayson; four step-granddaughters, Lisa (Jeremy) Bockman, Jackie (Rodney) Liskovec, Chrissy (Rob) VanHoose and Samantha Scarboro; and 14 step-great-grandchildren

At Audrey's request, a private family memorial will be held at a later date. Memorial contributions may be made in Audrey's memory to 365 Hospice State College, 1315 W. College Avenue, Suite 303, State College, PA 16801, or to a charity of one's choice in Audrey's memory. To leave a message of condolence or to share a story or memory, please visit the funeral home website, at:

www.cremationofpennsylvania.com