Kathryn A Sharp

Kathryn A. Sharp, 80, passed away on May 14, 2023 in Ft. Wayne, IN after a brief illness, surrounded by her husband Robert L. Thompson and her children. Kathy was born December 16, 1942 in Kansas City, MO, the middle daughter of the late Elmer E. Sharp and Guinevere Pattee Sharp Minnick. She grew up in the Waldo, Brookside, and Plaza neighborhoods with her sisters Judy and Penny. She graduated from Bishop Hogan High School in 1959 where she was senior class president and homecoming queen. She graduated from Saint Mary-Of-The-Woods College in Terre Haute, IN in 1963 where she majored in Drama. While at St. Mary’s, she was the first homecoming queen at Notre Dame. Kathy lived in Kansas City until 1964, then moved to Ft. Wayne, IN with her first husband, the late Michael C. Mettler, with whom she had four children. She went back to school while raising her children and received her Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from St. Francis College, in Ft. Wayne in 1977.

Kathy worked as a clinical psychologist in private practice, and in various roles with Allen County Probation Dept., Ft. Wayne Mental Health Center, Park Center, as a grant writer for Whittington Services for Children, and as a founding partner of Natural Changes, Inc., a consulting firm focused on the changing roles of women and men. In 1980 she was appointed by Mayor Winfield Moses Jr. to serve as Citizens Advocate for the City of Ft. Wayne. She subsequently served as Director of Safe Housing, Director of Capital Improvements, and was appointed to serve on the Board of Health. One of her greatest accomplishments at the City came during the Flood of 1982. She was a key player in managing the crisis; her efforts called “heroic”. In a recent phone call during her final days, Win Moses told Kathy that she was a “cornerstone of the community”. While working at the City, Kathy met Robert L. Thompson, a Ft. Wayne attorney whom she later married. After leaving the Mayor’s office, Kathy worked with Bob in his law practice for many years. She was always quick to emphasize that she worked “with” him, not “for” him.

Kathy was an active women’s rights advocate and was a founding member and spokesperson for The Ft. Wayne Feminists, and she was active in support of ratification of the ERA in Indiana. She taught women’s studies classes and led workshops at IU-PU where she was a member of the women’s studies committee. Kathy’s kids remember the night Gloria Steinem hung out in their living room on East Drive while in Ft. Wayne for a lecture and to promote her new “Ms. Magazine”.

Kathy’s biggest passions were reading, gardening, playing bridge, and family. She was a voracious reader of both fiction and nonfiction and stayed informed on current events. She was an avid bridge player, learning to play with her parents, continuing throughout life with family and friends, and playing online several nights a week with friends from all over the world. She had a love of gardening both indoors and out. Her lush beds of hostas and ferns are known throughout the neighborhood. She loved spending time with Bob, family, and friends at “the land” fishing, hunting for morels, and making maple syrup. She was effortlessly chic and stylish but wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty in jeans and an old t-shirt. She loved watching the bluebirds and hummingbirds from her window. She was a great cook and loved nothing more than smoking ribs with Bob on the deck, with a Rusty Nail in hand.

Kathy was a loving grandma and followed her grandchildren’s every move…cheering, encouraging, and supporting them in everything they did. Nothing made her happier than having all of them together in the family’s favorite vacation place, Glen Arbor, MI, where she had been taking her kids since they were little. Michigan will never be the same without Kathy wandering around with a tub of whitefish dip in her purse, playing the slots at the Indian casino, treating the grandkids to new M22 gear, and hosting dinner at The Cove in Leland.

Kathy is survived by her husband of 40 years, Robert L. Thompson and by her children Jennifer Mettler Vincent (Scott and their children Kyle, Jessie, Lucy, and Charlie) of Overland Park, KS, Brian Mettler (Cheryl and his son Sheamus) of Dexter, MI, Corey Mettler (Tonda and her sons Steven and Conner Dohse) of Fishers, IN, and Jeff Mettler (April and their children Jackson, Lillian, and Samuel) of Ft. Wayne. She is also survived by her sister Penny Sharp (Jim Sfetko) of Parkville, MO, and was preceded in death by her sister Judith Sharp Wrona. She is also survived by in-laws, former in-laws including Meg Mettler with whom she remained close, nieces and nephews, cousins, and her beloved pets Tasha, Peaches, and Polly.

To honor Kathy’s love of gardening, the family requests that you visit your local nursery and add a plant or flower to your home or garden, adding beauty to the world as she did.

No funeral or memorial service is immediately scheduled. The family will notify loved ones in the future when a celebration of Kathy’s life is planned.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at https://www.mccombandsons.com for the Sharp family.