Gay S Sharp

Linda Gay Smith Sharp (Gay), passed away peacefully at her home, surrounded by loved ones, on Saturday, March 5. Gay, a loving wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother, died of complications from pancreatic cancer. Her strong faith and her family sustained her through her most recent health issues.

Gay was born in Atlanta, Georgia on July 21, 1939 and is proceeded in death by her father, mother and brother, James Horace Smith, Lillian Gardner Smith, and James Larry Smith. Gay graduated from Brown High School in Atlanta, where she was very active and served as Homecoming Queen. She modeled for Riches Department Store as a teenager and then went to college at the University of Tennessee. As a young mother, Gay worked for Delta and was manager at Tanglewood Apartments in Dunwoody. She later went on to help create and then manage the Crisis Pregnancy Center in Augusta, Georgia, where she also worked in real estate.

Gay is survived by her husband of 51 years, Donald Young Sharp, as well as her two sons, Alan and Brett Sharp and their wives, Melanie and Emily. “Nanny Gay” has 6 grandchildren and one great-grandson: Casey Sharp, Emily Coffaro Sharp, Lilli Brooke, Alex, Katie and Zoey Sharp, and Carson Coffaro.

Gay was an active member of Johnson Ferry Road Baptist Church for 35 years, where she sang in the choir and was involved in various volunteer ministries such as Petal Pushers, Life after 50, and a weekly Bible Study. Gay accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior as a young pre-teen and actively sought to share her love of Christ with others.

She enjoyed traveling and spending time with friends and family, and especially reading and studying her Bible daily. She now rests peacefully free of pain in the arms of her Lord and Savior.

Visitation will be from 6:00-8:00 at Sandy Springs Chapel on Thursday, March 10 and the funeral will be at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church at 2:30 on Friday, March 11. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made at Atlanta Care Center.