Sympathy Saturday - Passing of Bertie Sharp, 1964, Forsyth, Taney Co., Mo.

A death certificate^[1] reported the passing of Bertie Sharp at Lakeview Rest Home, Ozark Beach Community, near Forsyth, Taney County, Missouri on 7 February 1964. Information on the certificate was supplied by Mrs. Sybil Parrish—relation unknown, and Dr. Mary King, the attending physician. An image of the certificate and commentary follow:

Image source: Missouri Digital Heritage

The attending physician, Dr. Mary King, had diagnosed Bertie's illness as "cardiac decompensation" on 1 August 1963 and had last examined her on 6 February 1964. She also considered "arterial hypertension, arteriosclerosis, senility" contributory causes of her condition.

Walter Cobb of Branson, Missouri, the funeral director, prepared her body for burial on 9 February 1964 at Snapp Cemetery in Forsyth, Missouri. Her grave marker^[2] at that cemetery is a joint marker for Charles Bruce and Bertie Sharp.

Commentary:

Mrs. Sybil Parrish (also residing in Forsyth, Mo.) supplied the death certificate's personal information about Bertie:

• Place of death: Lakeview Rest Home, Ozark Beach Com., Taney County, Missouri
• Marital Status: widowed
• Wife of: deceased
• Birth date: 16 August 1873
• Age: 90 years, 5 months, 21 days
• Occupation: housekeeper
• Birthplace: Benton County, Mo.
• Father's name: Stokes Gregory
• Mother's maiden name: Frances Gregory

Sybil supplies detailed but probably secondhand information about Bertie. This suggests Sybil was either a relative or a long-time friend of Bertie. It appears that the maiden name of Bertie’s mother was unknown, since the Gregory surname is used.

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1. "Missouri Death Certificates, 1910-1964,"
database with images, Missouri Digital Heritage (http://s1.sos.mo.gov/records/archives/archivesdb/deathcertificates/ : accessed 6 September 2015); certificate image, Bertie Sharp, 7 February 1964, no. 9252; citing "Missouri Division of Health, Department of Public Health and Welfare," Jefferson City. ^↩
2. Find A Grave, database and images (http://findagrave.com : accessed 25 August 2015), memorial page for Bertie Sharp (1873-1964), Find A Grave Memorial no. 16,917,989, citing Snapp Cemetery, Forsyth, Taney County, Missouri; accompanying photograph of the face of the gravestone taken 2007 by White River Valley Historical Society. ^↩