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In Loving Memory of
Olen Joseph Sharron
On Tuesday evening, August 29 Olen Joseph
Sharron found peace with the world and went to be with his Savior.
Olen was born on
December 8th, 1942
in
Plattsburgh
,
New York
and attended
Plattsburgh
High School
and the Miner Institute. His
farming roots led him to obtain his associates degree in agricultural
studies from State University of New York at
Canton
in 1963.
Following school, Olen embarked on a rewarding thirty year career
with the United States Department of Agriculture.
He served as a State Conservation Program Specialist for 21 years
in
Syracuse
,
New York
, and then spent his last three years prior to retirement at USDA
headquarters in
Washington
,
DC
. In performing his USDA
duties Olen worked closely with a number of Federal and State Agencies,
including Forestry. It was through forestry contacts that he developed
special interests in all areas of forest management.
Olen “retired” from the federal government in 1997, but in
anticipation of his next adventure, he trained himself and became a
certified arborist. In 1998 he
established I V Tree Care, a company dedicated to providing trees with
systemic injections for the treatment of disease and infestation.
His company’s mission took firm focus when he and his wife Becky
moved to beautiful Pearisburg, VA and he specialized in treatment of
hemlocks across the region that were gravely threatened by the Hemlock
Woolly Adelgid. Because of his
passion and skill he has bequeathed to southwest Virginia hundreds of
healthy hemlocks which he saved with this technique.
He is survived by his wife of twenty one years, Rebecca Newlon
Sharron of Pearisburg, his sister, Carol Robertson of Plattsburgh, his
sons Dean and his wife Kathy, and Steve, all of North Syracuse; three
grandchildren, Lucas, Jessica, and Jarett.
Olen also bids farewell to a step-son, Sean and his wife and
children, Stephanie, Jon, Adam, and Caleb of Decatur, GA, and a
step-daughter, Kimberly Harp of
Miami
,
FL.
Everyone Olen met became his
friend. If you knew Olen, you
loved Olen. He leaves behind a
host of friends at home and around the country.
His daily celebration of and exuberance in the miracles of life was
surpassed only by his courage in facing death.
Friends and family will be received at Givens Funeral Home on
Tuesday evening, September 4th from
6
to
8 p.m.
and Funeral Mass will be held on Wednesday, September 5th, at
11:30 a.m.
at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in
Blacksburg
with Father James Arsenault presiding.
Cremation will follow the Funeral Mass.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the “Save a
Hemlock” program of the Nature Conservancy at
Mountain
Lake
, or to Preferred Hospice, Inc of
Pulaski
,
VA.
Online condolences can be
sent to the family at givensfuneralhome.com.
If you would like to send your
condolences to the family via Givens Funeral Home, simply sign the Memorial
Guestbook by clicking the link. Your condolences will be printed
out and given to the family.
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