James "Jim" Clayton Sharp

James C. “Jim” Sharp, age 79, of Astoria, died Sunday, April 24, 2011, in Astoria. He was born July 31, 1931, in Waukesha, Wis., to Harry Clay Sharp and Lillian Marie Hoover. He received a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind., and a master’s degree in social work from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich. On Dec. 27, 1958, he married Dolores Sommerdorf Sharp in Ann Arbor. She survives, residing in Astoria. Mr. Sharp was a case worker at the Lake County Department of Public Welfare in Gary, Ind., a social worker at Beatty Memorial Hospital in Westville, Ind., and a psychiatric social worker at Vanderburgh Child Guidance Center in Evansville, Ind. He moved to Astoria in October 1967. He was a clinical social worker at the Clatsop County Mental Health Center, then director of the Clatsop County Mental Health Program. He retired in 1987. He was a member of St. Mary, Star of the Sea Catholic Church, the Kiwanis Club of Astoria/Warrenton and the St. Vincent de Paul Society. He also volunteered with the Astoria Cruise Hosts. In addition to his wife, he is survived by a daughter and son-in-law, Denise (Sharp) and Chris Stephens of Tigard; a son and daughter-in-law, Gregory J. and Theresa Sharp of Irvine, Calif.; and three grandchildren, Jeremy Stephens of Tigard and Jasmin and Anastasia Sharp of Irvine. A funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, April 27, at St. Francis de Sales, 867 Fifth Ave. in Hammond. Memorial contributions may be made to the St. Vincent de Paul Society, 1465 Grand Ave., Astoria, OR 97103; Indiana University Foundation, P.O. Box 500, Bloomington, IN 47402; Parkinson’s Resources of Oregon, 3975 Mercantile Drive, Suite 154, Lake Oswego, OR 97035; or Kiwanis Club of Astoria/Warrenton Jim Sharp Scholarship Fund, 404 Chinook Ave., Astoria, OR 97103.