Shirley Powell Sharkey

Shirley Rebecca Powell Sharkey, 97, of Oakland Park, Fla., passed away in her home on Sept. 3, 2023. She was a loving and friendly person, making the day brighter for everyone with whom she came in contact, and she was deeply devoted to her Christian faith and her family. A descendant of Choctaw leader Greenwood LeFlore, Shirley was born with her twin sister Charlotte in Greenwood, Miss., on July 17, 1926, to Clarence Edgerton Powell and Rebecca Harris Powell, and their brother, C.E. “Stoonie” Powell Jr. Shirley led a loving life, and her legacy has been passed down to her children, her grandchildren, her great-grandchildren and other family members. She was especially close to her twin sister Charlotte, who was like a second mother to her children as she was to Charlotte’s children. When she was in her 80s, Shirley wrote, “I consider myself so lucky to have a twin, and I am thankful for her every day.” Shirley graduated from Greenwood High School at the age of 16 and went on to earn her college degree from Louisiana State University. She married Bernard Joseph Sharkey Sr. on July 2, 1949. He was from Niles, Ohio and had fought in WWII, including the Battle of the Bulge. He was teaching engineering at Mississippi State University, where she was the editor of the Business Review in the College of Business. They lived in Greenwood, New Jersey, and Baton Rouge before moving to Oakland Park in 1973. She was a member of Phi Mu, Banyan Tree Club, P.E.O., and A.A.U.W. She supported several charitable organizations that helped needy children. She and Bernard were founding members of Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Oakland Park, where she served as a Eucharistic minister delivering Communion. Until health problems in recent years, Shirley attended Mass at the church nearly every day for decades. She loved to play cards, especially bridge, and she enjoyed dancing, reading, family celebrations, going for rides by the beach and keeping up with friends and family.

Shirley was predeceased by her husband, Bernard Joseph Sharkey Sr., her parents, C.E. and Rebecca Powell; her sister Charlotte Powell Maher Koch; her brother C.E. “Stoonie” Powell Jr. ; her cousin Harris Coleman Sr.; and numerous other beloved relatives. Those left to cherish her memory include her children, Bernard J. Sharkey Jr. (Ann), Valerie Sharkey, Richard Sharkey (Mary), Shirley O’Rear (Ronnie), Gayle Nelson (Howard), John Sharkey (Michelle), Jeanne Sharkey (Jay) and Sandy Sharkey-Norton (Glynn); grandchildren, Robert Harder, Michelle Sharkey, Megan Conerly, Benjamin O’Riordan, Bradley Sharkey, William Sharkey, Rebecca Vickers, Bernard J. Sharkey III, Katherine Fastuca, Sarah Sharkey, Andrew Nelson, Emily Sharkey, Ryan Sharkey, Ella Sharkey; 19 great-grandchildren, Mason, Brandt, Kennedy, Presley, Zac, Caden, Zack, Alex, Max, Evan, Olivia, Claire, Adelaide, Eloise, Logan, Jacob, Melodi, Averi, Powell; nieces and nephews and their families, and her beloved caregiver, Catherine Vanderslice.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorials be made to Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church or St. Joseph’s Indian School, South Dakota.

Visitation will be held on Sunday, September 10, 2023 from 2:00 – 4:00 at the Kraeer – Fairchild Funeral, 4061 North Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale. A Wake Service will take place at 3:30. Shirley’s funeral service will commence on Monday, September 11, 2023 at 10:00 at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, 1701 E. Oakland Park Blvd, Oakland Park, where her Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated. Entombment will take place in Our Lady Queen of Heaven Catholic Cemetery.