William "Bill" F Sharpe

Bill was born in Birmingham, Alabama. He was raised by his parents Frances and John, aunts Viola and Novia, and his grandmother Birdie King Lee. He cared deeply for the people who raised him. At six years old, when the furnace broke in their home, he took his mother’s hand and said “Don’t worry, Mama, I’ll fix it.”

Bill loved adventuring with the neighborhood boys, collecting bottle caps, and trading them in for entrance to Saturday movies at the Alabama Theater. He also began his long work-life as a boy with a paper route in Fountain Heights.

As a young man, Bill married JoAnn, and they had two daughters, Connie and Christi. He loved them with great pride and tenderness, and made sure he spoke to his daughters and his sister Judy on the phone every day.

Bill believed in a better life for all. One of his earliest jobs was at ACIPCO pipe factory. He challenged the factory’s racial segregation at great personal cost. The lessons he learned about the endurance of laborers informed his lifelong respect for all working people.

Bill supported himself and his family for years working as a car salesman. His work on car lots allowed him to pay for his education. His liveliness and talents as a car salesman helped him excel in his career. He kept his friends from the car business for the rest of his life.

Bill was in his forties when he finished college. His undergraduate degree was in Creative Writing, and he earned a Juris Doctor from Florida State University Law School in 1998 when he was 49 years old.

Bill would not be embarrassed for anyone to know that he was in conflict with the law as a young man. He made so many positive changes in his life; earning pardons for all his youthful offenses, attending college and law school, and building a trustworthy reputation in the community. Strong endorsements from attorneys and judges who knew him well were instrumental in his admittance to the Florida Bar in 2004. His life was a testament to the power of redemption.

Bill clerked at the Orange County Public Defenders office in Orlando, FL, and he became a public defender there. He opened the Sharpe Law Firm in Tallahassee, FL in 2008. He had a reputation throughout his career as a fierce litigator, caring family attorney, and exemplary advocate for his clients. He spent every day, even weekends, fighting for his clients and often visiting them in jail. Prosecutors found him a wily opponent (much to his delight). He retired as Assistant Regional Council from the Florida Office of Criminal Conflict, where his passion for criminal defense inspired his younger colleagues.

Bill loved James Agee and Alabama football. He read Fitzgerald, Thomas Mann and Goethe, listened to Neil Young, Bob Dylan and Van Morrison, and hollered at the TV whether the Crimson Tide was winning or losing. When his eyesight prevented him from reading his favorite authors in later years, he still enjoyed listening to the sixties folk and rock music of his youth. He was moved to tears often by the human condition.

Bill spent 40 years in the recovery community. He helped hundreds recover from substance abuse, and always had compassion and cheer for the friends who called him daily.

Every day he said “Today is the day,” and “All is well” to anyone who needed reassurance.

Bill regaled all who loved him with moving and hilarious stories drawn from his life. His absence is felt strongly in silence, but all who remember him will share his stories for the rest of our lives. He would want everyone to know that he passed away wearing his Black Lives Matter t-shirt.

Bill is survived by his daughters Connie and Christi, wife Jo Ellyn, sister Judy, grandchildren Devan, Christian and Juliet, nieces Jennifer and Anna, nephew John, and stepchildren Holmes, Robby and Durward. He was preceded in death by his mother Frances, aunts Viola and Novia, grandmother Birdie Lee King, and first wife JoAnn.

Of all the places Bill lived in his life, he chose Birmingham as the place he will be remembered by his family. A memorial service will be held at Ridout’s Trussville Chapel on Saturday, February 6, at 2pm. Only close family will be in attendance in-person, but well-wishers are encouraged to join via Zoom

https://zoom.us/j/97478661039

Meeting ID: 974 7866 1039

Passcode: 842643

In lieu of flowers, Bill’s family asks that donations be made in his name to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Only listen, and I will listen to you.

Only watch me, and I will watch into your eyes.

Only know that I am awake and aware of you, only be my friend, and I will be your friend.

You need not fear; or ever be lonely; or want for love.

Tell me your secrets; you can trust me.

Come near. Come very near.

James Agee, A Death in the Family

All is well - Bill Sharpe