Carol L. Sharp passed away at home surrounded by her children on February 3, 2025, in Denton, Texas, ten months after a major stroke and from the subsequent vascular dementia.

A hilarious, smart, and extremely loving mom, Carol always supported her kids and encouraged them to be brave and follow their hearts. They always knew that they had a place to come home to with a person who loved them no matter what. Whatever the situation, she could find the humor in it and make people laugh, knowing everything would be okay because of her unconditional love.

Carol was born in Omaha, Nebraska on May Day, 1946, the third child of the late Lowell and Betty (Powell) Dahlgren.  The family, including older siblings Robert and Kathleen and younger siblings Richard and Kimberly, moved around when they were younger including time in Enid, Oklahoma, Skellytown, Texas, and a more formative, memorable few years in Boone, Iowa.  They settled in Des Moines, Iowa in time for high school at St. Joseph's Academy where Carol graduated in 1964.

It was in Des Moines where she found a job at Bishop Buffet as one of the pretty young women who would carry your tray full of food to your seat. Honest to the core, she often humbly confessed that on occasion they would "accidentally" spill someone's water onto their famous ambrosia pie, letting the guys on the dishes line know it was coming and all having a little imperfect treat. It was at Bishops where she met a 16 year-old, skinny boy that all the other girls said would be perfect for her. When she turned the corner that first day there he sat, reading a dictionary. Cute. Funny. Smart. Those girls were right. Randy was the love of her life. They married on November 11, 1967, and they were inseparable until we lost him too young in 2011. Those early days in Des Moines and the friends they had stuck with her until the end.

Carol was smart and when young she was a fought-after executive secretary. She typed over 90 words per minute and helped whatever business she was working for thrive. She worked for small companies and large, including Johnson and Johnson, Xerox, and General Electric. It was while in Omaha working with the inside sales team at GE that she helped them win top company honors and was rewarded with trips, including one to Asheville, North Carolina where she, an avowed non-swimmer, loved her excursion riding the rapids, later putting a picture on the wall of her raft high on a rapid that made her children squirm at what might have been. But she loved adventure and dismissed any danger, insisting she would do it again.

While she continued to use her secretarial skills throughout her lifetime, including writing her Christmas lists in shorthand, much to the chagrin of her children, Carol's outgoing, friendly nature made her a natural saleswoman. She began in sales doing home parties for Mostly Baskets in the 1980s - selling wicker until she became the top sales-person and was offered a position as a regional manager, taking the family to Oklahoma to follow the new opportunity.

After moving on and to Springfield, Missouri, she moved into furniture sales where she excelled. While always a supportive and well-respected and liked colleague, she was known for out-hustling her peers by really getting to know her customers, exercising patience and showing kindness, always "going the extra mile." When she was forced to resign at 50 because of formaldehyde poisoning (she would want us to tell you to not use artificially scented products - they will make you sick), she generously gave her rolodex to her workmates who were stunned by the detail she kept on each customer. She was good at sales because she cared about people.

Carol grew up with music as an important part of her life. Her dad, Lowell, played trombone in a big band and her mom Betty was an accomplished pianist. From those beginnings, Carol passed her own passion for music on to her family. The soundtrack of her children's lives included Louis Armstrong, Buddy Holly, Don Williams, Willie Nelson, the Squirrel Nut Zippers and more. It was an eclectic blend that crossed all genres.  She insisted that her beloved dog Lillie danced whenever she put on Eric Clapton's "Alberta".

Carol's support of her children and grandchildren was never-ending. Katy, Richard, and Sarah knew when Carol had arrived at their soccer games by the sound of the cowbell she rang encouraging them. While Randy may have been the soccer coach, Carol was the number one fan and had many educated opinions on each game.

Once the kids were grown Carol and Randy moved down to Table Rock Lake in Shell Knob, Missouri, getting their dream home with a bit of land right on the water. They spent as much time as possible out on the boat, fishing and watching sunsets together. If you were lucky enough to know her and Randy, you were guaranteed to have a belly-laughing time, likely with a stiff drink, full stomach, and the knowledge that they would do anything to help you.

A loving wife, mother and grandmother, Carol is survived by daughter Katherine (John) Landdeck (Denton, Texas), son Richard (Elizabeth Hearne) Sharp (Austin, Texas), daughter Sarah Sharp (Denton, TX), granddaughters Caroline and Alice Landdeck, brother Richard (Laurie) Dahlgren, brother-in-law Craig Rahm, brother-in-law John Engstrom, sister-in-law Sandy Dahlgren, several cousins and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by husband Randall Sharp, parents Lowell and Betty (Powell) Dahlgren, sisters Kathleen Rahm and Kimberly Engstrom, and brother Lowell Robert Dahlgren.

A celebration of Carol's life for family and close friends will occur at a later date. To celebrate Carol, the family hopes you hug those you love really tight, then play a game of dominoes or Scrabble while listening to good music, laughing and sharing stories of all your shenanigans together.