Former Missouri Senator and Presiding Circuit Court Judge Steve Sharp passed away Saturday, April 11, at a Memphis hospital. This is his story – that of a boy from Gideon who dedicated his life to public service in his native Bootheel, to the State of Missouri, and to our country.

The first of two sons born to Alice Rhodes Sharp and Byron Harrison Sharp of Gideon, Stephen Rhodes Sharp loved growing up in New Madrid County. He counted himself among the very lucky who got to grow up in this area, in Southeast Missouri, when he did—with all the advantages of a small town where the work ethic and civic-mindedness of the community supported its families, its schools and churches, and each other.

His mother was the local postmaster; his father was a city alderman and had a small grocery store where Stephen was sometimes pressed into working after school. He attended Gideon Public Schools which were across the street from his home. One set of his grandparents, County Court Presiding Judge O.R. and Maude Rhodes, lived next door. Stephen began to accompany Judge Rhodes to the New Madrid County Courthouse frequently at the age of six. His grandfather's close friend, the legendary J.V. Conran, was then Prosecuting Attorney, and Stephen had his first introduction to political affairs. His Grandmother Rhodes tried to teach him piano, but his cousin Sammy was usually waiting just outside the window, with their ponies saddled. His other grandparents, Harry and Maime Sharp, lived only a block away, and they were very influential in his life, too. Since they operated the Princess Theatre, Stephen and his cousins got to attend free! More importantly, they had a rustic cabin at Lake Wappapella which was used year around for fishing and for deer season. Harry Sharp was the school janitor who often had a funny story to tell the kids or a practical joke to play on them.

At about this time in the delta areas of Missouri, Arkansas, and Tennessee, a form of music unlike any heard before was being invented. It wasn't country; it wasn't blues—they called it "Rockabilly." This new sound captured Steve's ear and remained a part of his life ever since.

After graduating from GHS in 1962, Steve attended the University of Missouri for a year and a half, then he opted to come back home. A drummer, Steve played music with his long-time friend Joe Keene often six nights a week throughout the area. This included sharing a concert stage with Fats Domino and recording with Joe at Sonic Studio in Memphis. Steve worked in the Gideon-Anderson Box Factory during the week and also worked on the County Road Maintenance crew, spraying Johnson grass. After a year of this, he enrolled at Southeast Missouri State University where he lived off-campus and continued to play music in Missouri, Arkansas, Illinois, and Tennessee with various performers that included Mark Collier and multiple-ASCAP-Award winners Jerry Foster and Bill Rice. He shared an apartment in Cape with a childhood friend, Max Hilfiker. Max introduced Steve to Patt Varnon who'd grown up in Scott County. Steve and Patt became engaged in 1966 and married a year later, just after he'd earned his B.A. degree from Southeast and just before he entered law school at Memphis State University. Patt began her lifelong teaching career in Memphis and retired a year ago as an instructor for Southeast Missouri State University. In law school, Steve earned academic awards and was a member of the Memphis State University Law Review. Throughout his time in law school, he continued to play music on weekends and toured in the South with the later-on Grammy Award winner, Charlie Rich.

His law school was interrupted by military service. Steve did his U.S. Army basic training at Fort Campbell, KY, before being sent to serve in Vietnam. There he earned a Bronze Star. After fulfilling his military obligation, Steve returned to Memphis State where he earned a Juris Doctorate degree.

Eager to return to the Bootheel, he interviewed only with law firms in southeast Missouri. He was hired by Flake McHaney at approximately the same time as another young attorney, John Beaton, to work in the McHaney-Welman Law firm. Upon McHaney's being appointed Circuit Judge, they both eventually became partners in the [Bill] Welman, Beaton, and Sharp law firm. An active member of the American and Dunklin County Bar Associations, Sharp served on various councils and boards for his state Bar Association. He left private practice when he was elected Prosecuting Attorney of Dunklin County in 1979.

Sharp was the Incorporator of the Kennett Museum. Along with his old friend Glen Brogden, they served as Founding Directors of the Museum for several years. Sandy Brown, another of the original Directors, continues today. He was also the Incorporator, Legal Counsel, and a Director for the Southeast MO Assoc. of Health Center Directors which was the first home-health agency in southeast Missouri. He was a Director and Legal Counsel for the Family Counseling Center from its inception through its first years of growth.

Chairman of the then-10th Congressional District Democratic Committee, Sharp served as the County Co-Chair with his friend Lonnie Kinchen on the successful Committee to Re-elect Tom Eagleton to the U.S. Senate. He also served on various other national and state political campaigns while serving as Chairman of the Dunklin County Democratic Central Committee during various years (ranging from 1973-1990).

Area leaders, including Mr. A.M. Riggs, asked him to serve on a delegation from Kennett to appear before the Missouri Highway Commission in Jefferson City. On behalf of this group, Sharp was the Presenter for the first proposal made to create a four-lane Highway 412 from Kennett to the Mississippi River Bridge. The proposal was well received, and the plan for the four-lane was made; it would be built as soon as the funding could be obtained.

He was a Pioneer Director of Southeast MO Legal Services, Inc. and was responsible for the appointment of former Gov. Warren E. Hearnes as Chief Executive Officer of that organization.

Next, with the support of many friends and colleagues, Sharp was elected to the Missouri State Senate in 1984 and in 1988. The following are some highlights of that service:

Chairman, MO Senate Education Committee;

Chairman, MO Senate Criminal Jurisprudence Committee;

Vice-Chair of MO Senate Agriculture Committee;

Member, MO Senate Appropriations Committee;

Sponsored and passed the first legislation in Missouri that created incentives for the production of ethanol;

Together with then-Southeast Missouri State University President Bill Stacy, Sharp obtained the initial funding for creation of the Bootheel Education Center/Southeast MO State University in Malden.

Received St. Louis Globe–Democrat Meritorious Public Service Award (1986).

Testified before a Congressional Committee in Washington, D. C., in support of Missouri agriculture.

He and his wife Patt (along with their friend, the now-late Jack Stapleton, Jr.), participated in a SALT II forum at the White House with President Jimmy Carter and National Security Advisor Zeb Brzezinski.

Upon the retirement of his long-time friend and mentor Flake McHaney from the circuit judgeship, Sharp was appointed in 1990 as Presiding Circuit Judge of the 35th Judicial Circuit of MO (Dunklin and Stoddard Counties). After serving out the remainder of what had originally been McHaney's final term, Sharp was elected to the position in 1992. That year he served on the Missouri Supreme Court's ad hoc Committee to Review Judicial Circuit Boundaries. He was also on the Legislative Steering Committee for the Mo. Judicial Conference.

Sharp was re-elected in 1994, 2000 and 2006 without ever having been opposed. When his term expired December 31, 2012, he had served over 22 years, the longest time that any presiding judge had served this Circuit. As a Senior Judge since then, he continued to hear cases assigned to him by the Missouri Supreme Court.

Sharp was a life-long member of the Baptist Church and of the Democratic Party. He was a long-time member of the Kennett Chamber of Commerce, Lions Club and the American Legion. His interest in "roots" rock-and-roll continued through the year, and one of his last public concerts was with internationally-known Narvel Felts, accompanied by the Jordanaires.

A memorial service is planned for a later date.