Regina Catherine Gilman Sharpe was born February 19, 1941 in Oak Park, IL, and died peacefully on March 18, 2018 at Loris Rehabilitative Center, Loris, SC.
Regina grew up in Rogers Park, Chicago, IL, and attended Sullivan High School. She went on to University of Montana, then graduated from Elmhurst College and became an elementary school teacher. She taught second grade in Elmhurst, Illinois, for many years. In 1974 she married the love of her life, Donald Sharpe, an executive at IBM. Together they made a home in Lombard, Illinois, where they were active in their Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church, and after retirement they moved to the balmy weather of Carolina Shores, North Carolina, in 1998. There they enjoyed gardening, entertaining with friends, working in a garden nursery, and multiple cruises and excursions. They also continued to be active in their church, Our Lady Star of the Sea in North Myrtle Beach.
Regina always enjoyed quilting and she made lovely dolls and toys for her many nieces and nephews. She was an active member of the Carolina Shores Quilt Guild.
Over the last few years she had advancing Alzheimer's disease, but kept her sweet and generous personality to the end. She is remembered as a sweet, kind, peaceful, humble person without fail. Her family especially remembers her gifts to children, cards, telephone calls, and all the efforts she made to stay in touch through weddings and other celebrations through the years.
"Sis" was predeceased just 13 months ago by her beloved husband Don. She was also predeceased by her parents Albert F. Gilman Jr. and Anna Regina Gilman, with whom she had been very close, and her older brother Albert F. Gilman III. She leaves to mourn her memory scores of former pupils, many nieces and nephews, and many grandnieces and grandnephews, friends and fellow parishioners, sister-in-law Mia Gilman of Cullowhee North Carolina, and the Loris Rehab Center team of caretakers.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 12 Noon on Saturday, April 14, 2018 at Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church. Inurnment will follow in the church columbarium niche.
A guestbook is available at www.leefhandcrematory.com.
Lee Funeral Home & Crematory of Little River/North Myrtle Beach is serving the family.
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