Marlene Sharp Murphy

Marlene Sharp Murphy (nee Cotton), age 87, of Williamsville, formerly of Batavia, died on Oct. 12, 2022, at Elderwood at Williamsville.

Marlene Alice Cotton was born May 1, 1935, in Buffalo, to the late Marsden H. and Maude (nee George) Cotton. She grew up in East Aurora. She married John Edwin “Jack” Sharp on Sept. 15, 1956, and they were together for 33 years until Jack’s death in 1989. They had five children, Joseph, Mary, John, Anne and Thomas, and lived most of their married life in Batavia where they raised their children. Jack was a high school guidance counselor at Oakfield-Alabama Central School. In the late 1990s, Marlene met and married her second husband, John V. “Murph” Murphy, and they were together for several years until Murph’s death in 1999. She later moved to the Buffalo area, residing in Williamsville and North Tonawanda, and lived for more than 10 years with her companion and friend, Donald Markovitz.

Over the course of her life, Marlene touched many people. She taught ballroom dancing, and liked to sew and quilt, bake and cook, and play bridge. She also sold trees and attended clown school. Marlene worked as a telephone operator, waitress, hostess, and bank teller, and was active in the Genesee Memorial Hospital League, as well as St. Mary’s Parish and St. Joseph’s Parish in Batavia.

Surviving are her children, Joseph M. (Cindy Thompson) Sharp of Farmingdale, NJ; Mary Sharp Sutula, of League City, TX; Anne Sharp (Mark) Oleksy, of Williamsville; and Thomas E. (John “Bert” Russ) Sharp of Washington, DC. She is also survived by her sister, Diane M. (Fred) Finkbeiner, of Bishop, Calif.; daughter-in-law, Carrie Sharp, of Fort Mill, S.C.; grandchildren, Garrett C. (Erica) Sutula, Meganne (Zac) Gibson, John T. “Jack” (Maria) Sharp, Allyson Sharp, Kaleigh (Josh Gabrelcik) Sutula, Maggie (Lance) Justus, Timothy E. (Kelly Doyle) Sharp and Katherine “Katie” Russ-Sharp; four great-grandchildren; many nieces, nephews, and their families; and Murph’s children, Maura Murphy Pierce, John V. Murphy, Michael J. Murphy and their families.

Marlene is predeceased by her husbands, Jack and Murph; her son, John Marsden Sharp; her grandson, Joseph Cotton Sharp; and her sisters-in-law and their husbands, Mary Jane and Robert Page, Jean and Dr. A. Charles “Chuck” Massaro, and Margaret “Peggy” and Carle Ingram.

Friends and family are invited to call on Saturday, June 17, 2023 from 10 am to 12 pm at the H.E. Turner & Co. Funeral Home, 403 East Main Street, Batavia. She will be laid to rest in Grandview Cemetery, Batavia. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hospice-Buffalo, Inc., 225 Como Park Blvd., Cheektowaga, NY 14227.