Richard Sharp

Dr. Richard Marshall Sharp born Feb. 2, 1954, of Chattanooga, Tenn., entered his eternal sabbath rest surrounded by his loving family in his home, on Saturday, Jan. 12, 2019. He is survived by his wife and soulmate, Theresa Cupp Sharp of forty-three years; two daughters and sons-in-law, Angela (Jason) Miller and Jennifer (Thaddeus) Wilhoit; four grandchildren who affectionally called him “Saba” (Hebrew for grandfather): Cohen Eli Miller, Seth Asher Wilhoit, Levi Jude Miller, and Leah Ruth Wilhoit; seven siblings and their spouses: James (Judi), Rev. William (Sheila), Paul (Carol), Judy Miller, Deb (Steve) Campbell, twin brother Michael (Joni), and Philip (Cindy); nineteen nieces and nephews, forty great nieces and nephews, and brother-in-law Kenneth (Rhonda) Cupp. He was preceded in death by his parents, James Warner and Wilhelmina “Billye” Mahoney Sharp; a baby brother, David Sharp; brother-in-law, Michael Miller; and in-laws Rev. William and Doris Prewett Cupp. Rick graduated from Notre Dame High School (Chattanooga, Tenn.) before earning a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He served four years in the U.S. Army as a 1st Lieutenant Airborne Ranger. He achieved a Master of Divinity degree from Mid-America Theological Seminary (Memphis, Tenn.), and a Doctor of Philosophy degree from Oxford (now Omega) Graduate School (Dayton, Tennessee). At Oxford, he was a professor of Hermeneutics; served as Vice-President for Recruitment, Advancement, and Alumni Affairs and was able to recruit students from literally every continent. Dr. Sharp was honored as Alumni of the Year 2014 for servant leadership, missional generosity, enlisting and recruiting, and for being a light to the world; was inducted as a Fellow in the Society of Scholars; and awarded The Globe Award which is given in recognition of international and cross-cultural achievements in 2018. He additionally served as an adjunct professor at Bryan College (Dayton, Tennessee) in the Aspire Program for several years. At Associated Fabrics, a local family-owned business, Rick worked alongside his mother and other family members for many years. He loved gardening, fishing, snow skiing, and his annual Fourth of July fireworks extravaganza. He served multiple times in Sar-El, the National Project for Volunteers for Israel, before hosting numerous tour groups to the Holy Land. Rick began his ministry as the Spiritual Leader at B’rit Hadasha, a Messianic Jewish Congregation in Memphis, Tenn. Because of his love for the nation of Israel, he created a non-profit humanitarian organization named The House of Stephanas through which he blessed people worldwide. His passion was traveling the world teaching the Jewish roots of the Christian faith and providing educational assistance to countless international pastors. As a faithful member of The Crossing Church of Chattanooga, he networked with believers from the following countries: Israel, Russia, Kenya, Vietnam, Cuba, China, Thailand, India, Fiji, Bolivia, Tanzania, Uganda, Georgia, Cambodia, and other countries to which he had not yet traveled. He loved the Messiah; he was a friend to Israel. Rick was a willing servant of the Lord and completed his earthly assignment without missing one thing. Countless lives have been impacted through his ministry. After a courageous six-month battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer, his final words were “more, Holy Spirit”. A celebration of his life will be held on Saturday, Feb. 16, at The Crossing Church of Chattanooga (7501 Standifer Gap Road, Chattanooga, Tennessee 37421) with Rev. Terry Harris and Rev. Danny Lance officiating. The family will receive guests from 1 to 4 p.m. with the memorial service beginning at 4 p.m. Rick’s body has been donated to The Genesis Program (Memphis, Tenn.) which provides ground breaking medical training and research. His burial at the National Cemetery will take place on the one-year anniversary of his passing. In lieu of flowers, tax deductible donations to honor his legacy among the nations can be made to The House of Stephanas, c/o Theresa Sharp, 2288 Gunbarrel Road, Suite 154-148, Chattanooga, Tennessee 37421.