Mary Maud Sharpe

Mary Maud Sharpe was born February 2, 1926 in Seminole, Florida to James and Grace Trowbridge, a pioneering family of Pinellas County. She died peacefully in the presence of her loving family on May 14, 2023 at the age of 97.

Mary Maud graduated from Largo High School and enrolled in Florida State College for Women, which while she attended became Florida State University. There she received her Bachelor’s of Science degree and graduated with honors, and was a member of Alpha Lambda Delta, Gama Sigma Epsilon, Phi Kappa Phi, and Phi Beta Kappa. While in high school and college, as the oldest of four children she gradually took on managing the household responsibilities, and the books for the family vegetable and citrus farm, due to her mother’s declining health and subsequent death.

Professionally, Mary Maud rose to the level of Chief of the Feed Laboratory at the Florida Department of Agriculture, where she was employed for 42 years. She was the first woman to obtain this level in any part of the Department of Agriculture. Her peers across the United States from other State Departments of Agriculture elected her the first woman President of the Association of American Feed Control Officials in 1978. She was also a founding member, and the first secretary of the Florida Department of Agriculture FLAG Credit Union.

When she arrived in Tallahassee to attend college Mary Maud began worshipping at Saint Paul’s United Methodist Church, where she sang in the choir throughout her membership and taught the three-year-old’s Sunday school class for 60 years.

Mary Maud was a treasured member of the Tallahassee, Thomasville, and Gainesville Rose Societies, and the Tallahassee Camellia Society. She was an American Rose Society Horticulture and Arrangement Judge as well as an American Camellia Society Judge. She loved growing flowers, volunteering, organizing, and baking for gatherings.

Mary Maud was married to William Jennings (Bill) Sharpe in 1954. He adored her, and they celebrated 59 years of marriage, before his death in 2013. She is survived by her son, John Robert Sharpe and his wife Bonnie of Kansas City, Missouri, her granddaughter Jennifer Bailey and husband Charles Bailey II, two great granddaughters, Mary Grace Bailey and Lilly Ann Bailey, and one great grandson Charles Bailey III of Stevensville, Maryland. She is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews, who affectionately knew her as Aunt Maudie. She was preceded in death by her father and mother, sisters Lois Phelps, Caroline Bolin, and brother Robert Trowbridge.

Services will be held at Saint Paul's United Methodist Church, 1700 North Meridian Rd., Tallahassee, FL 32303 at 10 AM on Thursday, May 18th. Visitation will be held at Culley's MeadowWood Funeral Home, 1737 Riggins Road from 5 PM until 7 PM on Wednesday, May 17th.

Those not wishing to send flowers may donate in Mary Maud’s honor to St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, 1700 North Meridian Rd., Tallahassee, FL 32303.