Mother Henrietta Dorothy (Clarke) Sharp was born in
Cincinnati, Ohio on August 15, 1930, to the proud parents,
Charlie Clarke and Leola (Dewhart) Clarke. Other siblings
born to this union were one sister, Delores and two brothers,
Clarence and Eddie who all preceded her in death.
She was educated in the Catholic School System, attending
St. Ann High School.
In 1970, while working at Xavier University, Bro. Larry
Joiner, Sr. witnessed to Henrietta about the Lord. She
visited Bethlehem Temple Apostolic Church under the
leadership of the late Bishop Elzie W. Young and was baptized
in Jesus name and filled with the Holy Ghost. Mother
Sharp loved God, her family, her pastors and her church.
She served faithfully with love and dedication and was
always looking for ways to increase income for the church.
She had an entrepreneurial anointing as she was the founder
of the Food Concession Auxiliary, which increased the
treasury at the church from year to year as she made her
year-end reports and was always one of the top fund raisers
of all the auxiliaries. She was also a great negotiator in
finding the best deals for purchasing candy. Almost every
Saturday morning, she would have ‘someone’ go for her or
pick her up in the church van and begin a day of shopping…
first to Makro, to Minges Candy on Court Street, then to
whatever store had a sale going on. She also maintained the
pop machines and would enlist the aid of “whosoever will”
to go to the store and buy cases of pop, especially when there
was a limit on the number of cases you could purchase.
Mother Sharp supported every auxiliary of the church.
She was gifted in the Culinary Arts and was well known
throughout Cincinnati and around the country for her
delicious Chess Pies. She was employed by Bishop Young to
work at his home and extended to her becoming secretary
of the Pastoral Appreciation Committee and was instrumental
in helping to raise funds and exceed our goal each
year. She continued this role under the leadership of the late
Bishop Johnnie L. Johnson. Mother Sharp loved attending
the PCAF National Conventions and always found a way to
sell her candy. In June of 2007, Mother Sharp became a
member of Hope for You Family Life and Worship Center
under the leadership of Bishop Larry Dempsey. She loved
attending church services on Sunday mornings, until she
was unable to get out due to health problems.
Henrietta was a wonderful, faithful, loving and caring
mother and woman, warming the hearts of all those who
knew and loved her. She loved her sons, Marty and Charles
(Chucky) with great joy and with all of her heart.
On Monday, March 9, 2015, the Lord decided that her
suffering would be no more, and at 5:45 p.m., she closed her
eyes and her rest began.
Henrietta leaves to cherish her memory: her sons, Marty
and Charles (Umona) Sharp; five grandchildren, Marlon
Stevenson, Monique Stevenson, Rebecca Stevenson Temel,
all of Germany, Faja Sharp and Aislyn Sharp; six greatgrandchildren;
close friends, Georgia Brooks, Ida Gaither,
Arletta Merritts, John and Tina Glover, Sam and Nettie
Young, Madeline Davenport and the late Georgia M. Miller;
other relatives and friends, the Greater Bethlehem Temple
Apostolic Church family and the Hope for You Family Life
and Worship Center family.