Obituary

Carle Farrell Sharp, Jr., affectionately known as “Sonny” to many, passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on November 17, 2022 after a brief hospital stay. He was 96 years old and lived a full life up to the very end.

Carle was born on July, 31, 1926 to Carle and Floy Sharp in Vinita, OK. The family later moved to San Antonio, Texas where Carle attended Alamo Heights High School. He enjoyed sports and played the position of center on the high school football team. He graduated in 1943 and enrolled at the University of Texas in Austin to study petroleum engineering. He joined the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity, but his engineering undergraduate studies were interrupted by WWII and he served a two-year stint in the US Army from 1944-1946. He returned to the University where he obtained his bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering. Carle met Martha Claire “Pokey” Baker, through their parents who were friends. They wed on June 15, 1948 and lived in and around the Houston area. Pokey taught figure skating and they had three children, Deborah, Sandi, and Michael.

Carle landed his first job out of college as an engineer with Humble Oil and Refining Company (now Exxon), which kickstarted a 75-year career in the oil industry. In 1979, Carle started his own company as an Independent Petroleum Consultant and continued to work into his 90’s. He was well respected and held in the highest regard by his peers, colleagues, and clients.

Carle loved woodworking and even built an outboard motorboat, Pokey 2. He enjoyed taking the family and friends out water skiing and fishing. He loved to fly fish and was an avid tennis player who continued to play doubles well into his later years. He and Pokey enjoyed traveling the world and would often visit Debbie and Sandi who both lived in California for many years. He loved sailing on Debbie’s sailboat and celebrated his 80th birthday in Catalina after sailing from Dana Point with Debbie and her husband Josh.

Carle will forever be remembered as a loving husband and father; a brilliant man of the highest integrity who was kind, generous and always enjoyed a good belly laugh. He lived at The Buckingham in Houston for many years before moving to New Braunfels, Texas the last year of his life. He made some good friends and will be missed at both places.

He is survived by his children, Deborah Conry (Canyon Lake) Sandi Sharp and her husband, Kevin Knott (Canyon Lake) Michael Sharp (Houston) and sister, Joanne Crosby (Austin), and many nieces and nephews who loved him dearly. Preceding Carle in death were his parents, Carle and Floy, his beloved wife, Pokey, his son-in-law, Josh Conry and his two brothers-in-law, Colbert Latimer (Bud) Baker and Jack Crosby.