GSL Director Jim Sharp passed away. Service details…

by John Boch

Guns Save Life's Director Jim Sharp dies Tuesday at about 6pm in Bloomington at BroMenn Medical Center.

His loss seems so surreal as I visited with him for almost an hour on Tuesday afternoon, just forty minutes before he passed away.  He had been diagnosed with pneumonia the day before.  While most of us wouldn't consider that good news, Jim said the docs hadn't been able to pin down the cause of his sudden lethargy, blaming that cold virus everyone's been getting.  Getting that diagnosis proved a relief for Jim, especially as he worked to recover from the chemo and radiation he's received at Mayo clinic to turn an inoperable tumor into a smoking hole. 

Jim felt better after the antibiotics began kicking in.  Already in good spirits, when he saw the chocolate milkshake I brought for him from Steak – N – Shake, he really perked right up.

And forty minutes later, he died from a ruptured blood vessel.  It ain't right.

Jim was a good friend of Guns Save Life and a very good friend of mine.  Need a shirt?  He was one of those people who would give you the shirt off his back.  

We often talk at Guns Save Life about "getting off the couch and making a difference".  Jim did just that.  He got off the couch and decided to make a difference – to make the world a better and safer place.

He lost a bunch of weight about ten or twelve years ago, along with some other unhealthy habits.  Sadly, he kept smoking.  "My only vice," he would chuckle.  

Jim went to classes, eating up lots of training himself.  Then he became an instructor.

Some people have those "people skills", others have the knowledge, and Jim had them both.  His skill sets continued to grow with additional training and experience.  We proudly brought him onto our GSL Defense Training team.  Jim joined us last year travelling to the Memphis Police Academy for three days of advanced training.  We all made a lot of great memories on that trip.

Like many of us, he viewed teaching others how to protect themselves and their families as a labor of love.  

An extremely intelligent problem solver, we welcomed him onto the GSL Board and he proved a great asset to the organization.

He's already missed, and like Peter Wheeler, another GSL director who died tragically just before Christmas, will continue to be missed.

PAXTON (Record) — James L. “Jim” Sharp, 60, of Paxton, died at 6:41 p.m. Tuesday, March 7, 2017, at Advocate BroMenn Medical Center in Bloomington.

Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 11, at Baier Family Funeral Services, 406 E. Pells St., Paxton, with Father Scaria Thoppil officiating. Burial will follow in Glen Cemetery in Paxton. Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday, March 10, at the funeral home.

Mr. Sharp was born July 1, 1956, in Chicago, the son of Leonard L. and Gladyce F. Ryan Sharp.

Surviving are one daughter, Dawn (Chris Stack) Atkinson of Loda; one son, James M. Sharp of Paxton; four grandchildren, Emma and Carson Atkinson, Kiya Sharp and Araya Stack; a sister, Kathie (John) McCollough of Columbia; and a nephew, Matthew McCollough.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

Mr. Sharp graduated from Paxton High School in 1974 and from Parkland College with an engineering degree. He was employed by Data Comm for Business in Dewey as an electrical engineer for the past 38 years. He also owned and operated Sharp Defense in Paxton since 2012.

Mr. Sharp grew up in the Catholic faith and attended St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Paxton. He was a member of Guns Save Lives Defense. He enjoyed motorcycles, shooting guns and working with his son in their shop.

Memorials may be made to Hope Lodge of Mayo Clinic.

Condolences may be offered at www.baierfuneralservices.com.