Robert "Bob" Francis Sharp

Robert F. “Bob” Sharp, 60, of Springfield, died at 3:05 a.m. August 4, at Mason City Area Nursing Home, of complications related to traumatic brain injury suffered in an accidental fall several weeks before.

Memorial Gathering and Ceremony: The family will receive friends at 4:00 p.m., Monday, August 11,2025 until the time of the Ceremony at 6:30 p.m. at Boardman-Smith Funeral Home, 800 S. Grand Ave. West, Springfield, IL 62704, with Rabbi Barry Marks officiating.

Bob was born October 7, 1964, in Brooklyn, New York – Bay Ridge to be specific, as he usually was -- to James S. and Teresa Sharp. He is survived by his wife, Angie Muhs, and their two sons, Andrew and Finn Sharp, all of Springfield. Other survivors include his brother and sister-in-law, Jim and Dori Sharp of Arlington, VA.; his brother, Mike Sharp of Brooklyn; father- and mother-in-law, Urban and Marilyn Muhs of Olney; and brother- and sister-in-law, Dan and Diane Muhs of Olney. He was preceded in death by his parents; a brother, William Sharp; and a nephew, Joey Muhs.

Bob had been employed since 2019 as a web developer for the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts. He took great pride in his role in helping the courts quickly adapt and move operations online during the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. He had previously worked as a freelance web developer, most notably for the artist Ralph Steadman, the writer Kurt Vonnegut, and for Toyota Manufacturing for more than 20 years. He also had worked for several years as a business reporter for the Lexington (KY.) Herald-Leader, a role he fell into somewhat accidentally but nonetheless loved and excelled at, because it tapped into his boundless curiosity and his ability to craft a spot-on turn of phrase.

He was a graduate of Hunter College in New York City and was a veteran of the U.S. Army, serving as a military police officer. He had enlisted at age 18 as an act of rebellion against being born into a family in which both parents and all three older brothers were all U.S. Navy officers or civilian employees. He liked to say that as the youngest of four sons, there was little he could have done to shock his mother, but that joining the Army did achieve that goal. However, as a notorious non-morning person, he ultimately chose not to make the military his career.

Bob’s interests were eclectic. He loved the outdoors, especially enjoying the 10 years the family spent living in Maine. He was a voracious reader, with tastes ranging from the classics to Sherlock Holmes, to Hemingway and pulp novels. His nonfiction interests ranged from Soviet military studies to Mount Everest to Japan to the Titanic and Great Lakes shipwrecks. In his spare time, he crafted museum-quality fine-scale models, agonizing over the tiniest of details to attain historical accuracy. (Who knew there were so many shades of gray paint? There are, and he had to use the one that was exactly right.) He loved jazz and classical music, The Simpsons, Mystery Science Theater 3000 and Bob’s Burgers. Despite being 6-foot-7, he never played basketball, having no actual skill at it. He was a long-suffering fan of the New York Mets and the New York Rangers.

Bob was a hard-core Formula One enthusiast and would want everyone to know that he was a fan long before “Drive to Survive” and had no interest in seeing the new F1 movie due to its liberties with accuracy. He cherished having witnessed Jenson Button’s iconic 2011 Canadian Grand Prix victory in person, covering the race as a freelance writer, and was thrilled that Max Verstappen will not be the 2025 World Champion.

He taught Finn to be an F1 fan when Finn was still using a sippy cup and delighted in watching races with him and talking about them in between. He also enjoyed computer gaming and watching warped comedy shows and samurai movies, two pastimes that he shared with Andrew. He was incredibly proud of Andrew’s and Finn’s accomplishments, but even more so of their curiosity and diverse interests, courage to be themselves and their kind hearts. He would have been so proud of the bravery and maturity they have demonstrated during the six weeks between his accident and death.

Bob preferred the company of the family’s cats – especially his favorite, the late Comrade Cosmonaut Yuri Ivanovich Stalkoshka, Hero of the Soviet Union -- but he did like, and possibly even loved, the family’s two large rescue dogs much more than he would ever admit. While Angie took the lead on training, he played a quiet but integral role in the family’s volunteer service with Guiding Eyes for the Blind while they lived in Maine. He took great satisfaction that each of the three Labrador retrievers they raised became working guide dogs – but was relieved when the family moved to Springfield in 2014 that GEB did not have an Illinois chapter.

He would appreciate that his family has deployed his signature dark humor and irreverent wit as a coping tool over the past weeks. Bob had always made his wishes about quality of life known, both verbally and in a written medical power of attorney. This provided immense comfort for his family as they made difficult decisions after his injury. If you haven’t made similar provisions, please consider doing so – we think he would appreciate some good coming from his unfortunate experience. In lieu of flowers, we believe Bob would also appreciate consideration of a donation to the Applachian Mountain Club, NPR Illinois or Girls Who Code, all causes he supported.