Melvin R. Sharpe, age 97, of Opelousas

OPELOUSAS- A Celebration of Life for Mr. Melvin R. Sharpe was held on Tuesday, October 9, 2018, at 2 p.m. at Williams Funeral H
ome of Opelousas. A military memorial service will be held at a later date with final disposition in Covington.
Melvin R. Sharpe, age 97, of Opelousas, passed away on Wednesday, October 3, 2018, in his residence surrounded by family and loved ones and in the comfort care of Serenity Hospice.
Melvin, a World War II veteran, and former high school teacher leaves to cherish his memory and celebrate his legacy.
Melvin was born in 1921 to Lena and Russaw Sharpe in Bush, St. Tammany Parish being the oldest of four children. Melvin, his two brothers and sister were raised on a farm near Bogue Chitta River, and their sustenance came from farming and some cash money from selling furs which his father trapped in the marshlands during the winter.  
Family members fondly recall Melvin’s stories of bygone days when he walked five miles to Union Grove Elementary School without shoes, even in the winter months.  Following graduation from Covington High, Melvin completed two years at Southwestern in Lafayette before serving in the European Theatre for the United States Army during World War II.  
While visiting his family in Covington over the holidays, Melvin attended a birthday party where he met Edith Hunt, his future wife.  During the war, Melvin and Edith continued to correspond with letters back and forth across the pond, while Melvin served in the 192nd General Hospital Unit in England.  
Following the war, Melvin continued his schooling in Lafayette, but midway, was compelled to transfer to Southeastern University in Hammond, where he could make the drive to see Edith in Covington each day after school.  In December,1946, Melvin and Edith were married and moved to Hammond where the couple attended Southeastern and Melvin received his first degree.  
After building a home and living in Baton Rouge a short time, in 1949 the young couple moved to Bunkie.  There Melvin was employed as a business teacher at Bunkie High School until his retirement in 1977.  During those years, the couple had three children: Dianne, born in 1950; Phil, born in 1959; and Betty, born in 1960.   Melvin continued his education, first, receiving a masters degree in education and then studying advanced studies regarding academic principalship and superintendentship at Peabody College for Teachers in Nashville, Tennessee.  
During his tenure at Bunkie High, Melvin brought both the COE (Cooperative Office Education) and the DE (Distributive Education) to Avoyelles Parish.  When Melvin retired from the school system in 1977, he was the coordinator of the COE program.  
Over the years, Melvin has had many interests and in addition to teaching school, always seemed to have something going on the side.  He received his real estate license and began selling real estate, sold life insurance and stocks, began a real estate rental business, becoming an investor in real estate housing units and land, where he raised cattle, horses a few chickens and even did some gardening.  
Upon retirement from teaching, he became a real estate broker and opened up the Melvin Sharpe Real Estate office in Bunkie, from which he completely retired in 1999.
He is surivied by his loving wife of almost (71) seventy-one years, Edith Hunt Sharpe of Opelousas; three children, Dianne Sharpe of Opelousas; Phillip Ray Sharpe of Opelousas, and Betty Jean (Dale) Johnson of Lafayette; one brother Shelby Sharpe, of Alabama; two sisters-in-law; Lorraine Reagan of Boca Raton, Florida, and Catherine Hunt (Dennis) Osborne, of Walsilla, Alaska; brother-in-law Willie(Velma) Hunt of Covington; and host of nieces, nephews, other relatives and special friends.