FORT ANN – Edward H. Sharrow, Sr., 82, of Fort Ann, passed away from brain cancer
on Tuesday, August 8, 2023. Just like he dealt with all experiences in life Ed managed his illness with strength and he wanted to spend as much time with his loved ones as possible. In his final days he was surrounded by his family who he cherished more than anything else in the world.
Born June 4, 1941, in Fort Edward, he was the youngest of two sons of the late William and Joyce (Woodward) Sharrow, Sr., raised during his formative years by his stepmother, Helen Sharrow.
Ed was a graduate of Fort Ann Central School, class of 1959, where he met his future wife Betty (Shaw). After high school, he enlisted and served in the United States Army from 1959 to 1962 in the 7th Infantry Division. On June 24, 1961, Ed married Elizabeth (Betty) Shaw in Fort Ann. They recently celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary. Later Ed obtained his Associate Degree in Criminal Justice from ACC.
Ed worked for many years at the Dept. of Transportation, Division of Canals in Fort Edward. As a younger man he played defense with the Green Jackets. Ed was an avid Boston Red Sox Fan and a true Yankee hater.
Throughout his life he was very active in his community. Some of his accomplishments included coaching the Fort Ann Little League Red Sox Team and was a co-founder of the Upstate Regional Critical Incident Stress Debriefing Network (CISD) with his late son in law, William Meehan. He was a member of the Fort Ann Volunteer Fire Dept., where he held just about every position, except treasurer, for the past 65 years. Ed was a member of the Washington County Haz Mat team and he volunteered for The Good Grief Experience at Camp Good Grief in Saranac Lake for several years. He was a member of the Minerva Volunteer Fire Dept., including Chief. He was a Trustee for the Fort Ann Village Board, a member of the Fort Ann American Legion Post #703 and a Life Member of the Fort Ann Rescue Squad where he became an EMT and held the position of Captain for several years. In his later years he was a member of the Washington County Fire Police.
Ed was an avid hunter. He was a 68 Year member of the 3 Ponds Hunting Club in Minerva. Some of his fondest memories were of his times at camp: hunting (or not) with his buddies, his sons and sons in laws, sliding weekends with our midnight runs, Cowabunga rituals, and bush-whacking.
Our “wise old owl” will be greatly missed. The younger generations will never know what it’s like to snipe hunt, to be hypnotized, be subjected to his “5 minute jobs”, swim in the Boreas, or camp at Huntley Pond “the Fort Ann Leech Beach” – with you.
Besides his parents, Ed was predeceased by his sister Margaret “Sookie” Hogan of Hudson Falls, his brother Ron Sharrow of Glens Falls, son in law William F Meehan and sister in law Donna Sharrow.
Survivors include his wife and best friend Betty Sharrow; his children, Jeanne Meehan (Rich Morin) of Dunlap, TN, Edward H Sharrow, Jr (Jennifer) of Hudson Falls, Charles W Sharrow (Sheila) of Fort Ann, and Suzanne Green (Robert) of Fort Ann.
“Poppy” especially loved spending time with his grandchildren and great grandchildren. His grandchildren: Deanna Canfield (Eric Fitzgerald), Curtis Ray (Neomi), Brian Meehan (Danielle), Kelly Meehan, Christopher Sharrow (Erin), Kara Beth LeBoeuf (Nick), Courtney Toy (Sam), Carrie Lashinsky (Bill), Kenneth Green (Holly), Sarah Merrigan (Jeff).
His great grandchildren: Brianna Bender (Robert), Isabella, Skyler Ray (Stephanie), Hunter, Meadow, Mason, Lilliana, Victoria, Veronica, Elena, Loren, Kayden, Emerson, Kaylee, Hailey, Savannah, Kayla, Jacob, Taylor, Addison, Emily, Harper.
His brothers Daniel Van Wie (Wickie) of South Glens Falls, William Sharrow, Jr of Comstock and Timothy Sharrow (Keri) of Englewood, Florida, along with many nieces and nephews.
Ed made friends wherever he was and his warm smile, devilish grin, quick wit and great sense of humor will be deeply missed by his family, friends, and community. He will be forever remembered to have lived a life of family, friends and service to others.
A special thank you to: Elieen Spinelli of Evergreen Medical; Dr. Christopher Hoy, Jane Diamond; Christine Nichols of DCI, the Fort Ann Volunteer Fire Dept (with an extra special mention to Chief Jon Lashinsy and President Andrew Call). We couldn’t have done this without you.
Friends may call Thursday, August 17, 2023, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Carleton Funeral Home, Inc., 68 Main St., in Hudson Falls.
A fireman’s funeral service will be conducted Friday, August 18, 2023, 11 a.m., at the funeral home. Following the burial, all are welcome to a reception at the Fort Ann Fire House.
Memorial donations in memory of Ed may be made to Fort Ann Vol Fire Dept., 11289 NY-149, Fort Ann, NY 12827 or the Fort Ann Rescue Squad, 11287 NY-149, Fort Ann, NY 12827.
I miss you already! ♥️
I’ll love you always💔
sorry for your loss Bill
Eg was one of the great ones.He will be missed.
I worked with Ed (& Bill Meehan) many years ago doing CISD work in the community. I held/still hold Ed in high regard for his commitment to helping his fellow emergency responders take care of themselves through processing their powerful experiences, so they could continue to do the important work they do. He touched a lot of lives, mine included. He is an example of how people should live their lives with purpose. I am happy to have known him. God bless his family; I am sorry for your loss.
Dad you were the best father I could ever had asked for. I will miss our singing together and Harper telling you to stop. I love you so much.
Poppy was an exemplary leader, and left a life-long impression on me about the significance of giving to your community. His guiding hands taught us to watch out for ourselves, and to watch out for each other. It can be said that Ed Sharrow wore many hats, but I’ll remember him as the man that wore many jackets. Comfortable in his living room lounger in a fleece lined jacket; commanding the scene of a midnight winter structure fire in his Chief’s white coat; responding to the old ambulance shed in that orange Fort Ann EMS vintage jacket (Thank goodness they swapped that out to black!); or the multiple layers of jackets donned while “up-ta-camp”, out in the woods listening to the sounds of a silent morning. Our coatrack is a little bit lighter without you.
Love from afar…
We are so sorry for your loss, Sharrow family. We are thankful of your efforts to visit us earlier this summer so we could see Eddie. We are sad that we cannot get together for that dinner he wanted. We, and especially Fred, have many fond memories of fun times hunting.
Jennifer, Ed and Family,
I’m so very sorry for your loss.
My thoughts and prayers go out to all of you 🙏🙏🙏