Leslie (Les) Sharpless was born on October 3, 1935 and was
called to Heaven on January 1, 2021. Les, the youngest of 10 children, born to
Oscar and Bertha (Batts) Sharpless, was raised in Chinquapin, NC. He was
educated in the public schools of Duplin County. Following graduation from
Charity High School, Les attended North Carolina Agricultural and Technical
State College.
Post college, Les served in the military. After his military
service, he relocated to Philadelphia, PA where he met his lifelong partner,
Mildred (Lawrence) of Tarboro, NC. Les and Mildred were married on June 27,
1964. They were blessed with their son Brian Travis Sharpless on September 28,
1973 and would later in life become bonus parents to Jason Jones.
Les was the Advertising Manager at The Leader Newspaper
where he retired after more than 30 years of service to the paper. Les was also
a member of The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society where his green thumb won
him many awards. Most recently he was
enjoying living his life in retirement.
He enjoyed entertaining friends with his wife Mildred at
their home in Philadelphia and taking trips down south to visit family. Les was
known as the Tulpehocken Street icon or “second dad” to many like Leo Hayes and
numerous others. He could always be found in the summer sitting on the front
patio wearing his cowboy hat, sharing a cocktail and conversation with the West
Oak Lane family.
Les was proceeded in death by his parents and 9 siblings.
Les leaves behind many people to carry on his memory
including his wife Mildred, his son Brian Travis (Stephanie) of Philadelphia,
PA; Jason Jones of Philadelphia, PA; a host of nieces and nephews; a long line
of grandchildren including Briana Sharpless, Jayden Roberts and Jayden Jones; along
with other relatives and friends that were more like family.
The family is asking that in lieu of flowers that a donation be made to honor Les Sharpless to the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. Mr. Sharpless was an active member of the PHS for many years. If individuals choose to do so they can make a Tribute Gift in his name. The link is here:
https://phsonline.org/support-phs/target-your-impact/donate
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To send flowers
to the family or plant a tree
in memory of Leslie Sharpless, please visit our floral store.
