Sharon W. Petty Holmes

The life of Sharon W. Petty Holmes has reached her final journey’s end on February 1, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. in Harrison Crossings. Sharon was the last of three children all born on the family farm and homestead, five miles NE on Oden and Bunkum Road to Charles C. and Nellie Ruth Toon Wade. Sharon came into the world on a hot and sultry July 30, 1949 and was delivered by her paternal grandmother, Lula Pownall forty-five minutes before the doctor from Loogootee arrived. He made the statement as he came through the screen door and she had a great set of lungs. Sharon’s parents divorced in October 1957, and her mother rented a house, and she, Max, Donna, and Sharon moved to Linton to start their new lives. Max delivered the Indianapolis Star of a morning, and Donna and Sharon were two of the first four girls to deliver newspapers in the state of Indiana. Sharon remembered her mother buying Sharon and Donna a $500 security bond because they were just 8 and 9 years old. Gene Goodwin was their manager. He was a solid good man, and he taught them how to close out the new 25 newspapers subscriptions for 12 weeks for the contests qualifications. Sharon and Donna both won five trips together to Chicago and one trip each to St. Louis selling the Indianapolis News subscriptions for each of the contests.  Sharon graduated from Linton-Stockton High School on May 21, 1967 (Go Miners.). Sharon has always been proud of her Miners, and they have always been great in football and basketball. One year for part of her Christmas, Mike drove to Linton and purchased a Red Minor’s sweatshirt which she wore with pride. Usually, during high school championship tournament time is when they will sport them around Terre Haute, and Mike would wear his Gerstmeyer Black Cat’s sweatshirt from when he graduated in 1964.  Sharon’s banking career began on April 12, 1978 at the Merchants National Bank’s Main Office Banking Center as a part time- teller. She worked and trained there and was chosen by Bill Reed to become one of the first time tellers for the new Gilchrist Banking Center on South 41 and Gilchrist Road. They opened on September 27, 1978. Later Sharon went to the South 3rd Center as a teller supervisor. She wanted to learn lending and the loan business. John would have Sharon oversee his loan payoffs, etc. when he was on vacation. He would call accounting for the balances of the portfolio before calling her to see what her balance showed. She learned a lot from John. He was a good man and a good friend. On May 4, 1983, Sharon was promoted to Branch Manager at the Lafayette North Banking Center. She had no clue to the wonderful group and hard working staff, bar none the finest group of women she ever had the pleasure of knowing and working with daily side by side. Each one of them gave the bank and its customers one hundred percent dedicated customer service on a daily basis, which now days is nonexistent. My two right arms, Linda Shanklin, Assistant Manager, and Joan Hoffman, Teller Supervisor, along with Lynn Lenne, Commercial Window, Cathy Jackson, Karen Goda and Debbie Wolf worked with me. They worked together like a well-oiled clock. We also enjoyed a fun time together after hours. We always had our Christmas party at Shanklin’s house. One year, the staff decided to buy Sharon a concrete goose, (80 lbs.). For some unknown reason they decided to drive Cathy’s car which meant it had to be unloaded when they got to Linda’s house. I’d given one half a year’s salary to have seen the fiasco those two encountered. Sharon would do her rendition of Lily Tomlin’s Edith Ann, the telephone operator from Laugh In. We always had a great time and lots of laughs in Shanklin’s big wooden rocker. Sharon attended a lot of meetings and seminars to learn and excel as she dearly loved her job and banking. In June, 1985, she was promoted to AVP of Consumer Loans. She was also a member and officer of the Wabash Safe Deposit Association and also a member and officer of the Wabash Valley American Institute of Banking. She retired from each as Past President. Sharon also served on the Board of the former Leadership Terre Haute for six years. She was a member of LTH Class XV. Sharon was also a member of the Sertoma Club of Terre Haute. The Club’s annual fundraiser was selling beautiful fruit baskets for $10 each. One year she sold 40 baskets to the banking centers and class members. The record still stands today as the most sold. Sharon was known among her banking center colleagues as the Queen of Sales program of Credit Life and Disability Insurance, annually producing sales of over 100K. In 2003, Sharon’s single loan sales production between consumer loans and Home Equity Lines of Credit yielded over 14,600,000 and she was the top consumer loan officer producer for the northern half of Old National Bank. A loan record of volume that still stands today. Sharon won a trip to Cancun for her and Mike. Sharon could not have produced the documentation volume with the perfection and expertise without the assistance of her loan processor team of Fran Schrink, loan processing manager, Debbie Hendrich, Jennifer Schoffstall and Letitia Bennett, loan processors. She always appreciated their, behind the scenes expertise, and dedication providing nothing but excellence. Sharon was promoted to AVP of Consumer Loans in 1993 and was downsized and retired by ONB December 31, 2004 after 27 years of dedicated and loyal employment. Sharon loved her job, and she was dedicated not only to the bank but to her customers which she took seriously their needs to heart. Sharon had the distinct opportunity and pleasure of working with Dan Schrader, President and CEO of Old National Bank, Northern Region. Dan is one of the most respected and knowledgeable bankers Sharon ever met. Sharon knew by working with Dan he knew banking and always had the best interest of ONB and all of its employees on his mind, always first and foremost. Sharon loved the outdoors and bass fishing and boating. She could drive their 24 bfoot RV with a Willy’s Jeep on the first hitch and pull their 18 foot bass boat behind it on the second hitch down and the highway, a total of 63 ½ feet. At Racoon Lake, Sharon would use their Ford pickup with a Ranger boat on the front and a ball and a Ranger on the back bumper on a ball and drive to the lake and down the ramp, unloaded it back at the trailer up the ramp and turn it around in the turn around and back the other boat down the ramp to unload it. When the tournament was over at 5 p.m., she did the same procedures to retrieve the two Rangers and trailers. Sharon loved camping and enjoyed the bass tournaments, especially the overnight twelve hour ones from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. at Lake Patoka and Lake Kickapoo at Shakamak State Park. Sharon also enjoyed her beginning days of deer hunting at Buzzard’s Roost Camp Ground in Perry County. Sharon decided to try her hand at deer hunting the fall of 1980. Bob showed her how to track a deer using a blood trail that he got during bow season. When she found the doe, he showed her how to field dress it, and she helped him get back to camp. Bob showed her how to hand the deer from the hind legs and to skin the doe. A special hysterical memory happened at camp on Thanksgiving Eve. The temperature got to 72 degrees, and the group had been drinking raisin Jack (homemade) wine the night before.  The honey bee’s got into the wine on the picnic table. Needless to say, they overindulge, and when they went to the edge of the picnic table and tried to fly, the bees just fell off the table. They beat their wings 100 mph, and went no place. It was a sight to behold. In humble appreciation, her heartfelt thank you to all her healthcare providers which are as follows: Mary Susan Hester, RN, FNP,; Krishna Namburi, Cardiology MD, Lisa Kaufman, Cardiology pacemaker clinic, RN, MSCCRN: Timothy Lenardo, rheumatology; Girish Kuna Perretti, Oncology and Hematology; Robert Haerr, radiology MD and Gene Etheridge, doctor of chiropractic. Sharon’s lifelong female friends are simply priceless to her. Janice Ruth Buck Crist (Mike), Peggy Jean Priest Walker (Bill), old national bank friends of 25 years or more, Joanne Chervenko and Sharon (Bob) Mason. Lifelong made friends who have added to Sharon’s life with each owning their own unique chapter which mattered deeply to her. They are David Earl Kelly, since 1964, former husband of 17 years and forever friend, Robert L. Petty, Charles Henry Myers and his son, Michael Lauren Myers (Mickey), whom Sharon adored, and 30+ year friends James W. Hubbs, whom Sharon always respected and considered him as the finest man she ever knew. Sharon met Mike on Christmas Eve in 1997 in an open house through mutual friends on a blind date. They started dating on January 15, 1998 and they saw the movie, “As Good as it Gets.” with Helen Hunt and Jack Nicholson. Then went to Las Vegas four times in 13 months. There she learned how to play “let it ride Caribbean stud.” Then she played six card poker and Mississippi stud, and she enjoyed a long neck or two. Sharon loved a beautiful well organized and comfortable home, but not elaborate. She also loved a beautiful and colorful landscaped yard. As her health begin to fail, she could not have kept it up without Mike’s assistance. He took as much pride in their home and yard as Sharon did. Mike has been her “rock.” She could not have done it without him. Sharon is survived by her devoted and loving husband in 15 years, Michael F. Holmes; Mike’s two daughters; Holly Lynn Pies and Carrie Ann Osborne(Dan), and their two sons, Gus Michael Osborne and Abram Owen Osborne; Mike’s sister and Sharon’s beloved friend and sister-in-law Mary Ann Boyer; sister Donna R. Williams (Steve); two nephews Tim L. Wade (Linda Selleck), Douglas Williams (Angela), two nieces, Te L. McNeill and Kimberly Roberts; three great nephews, Clint McNeill, Daniel McNeill, Jessica Weust, and Justin Gallaher; two great great nieces Marty McNeill and Raylan Maria and a great great nephew, Memphis J McNeill and her beloved aunt Blanche Wade. Sharon was predeceased by her parents Charles C. And Nelly Ruth Toon Wade, brother Max E. Wade and his wife Kathy A. Patton Wade, Max his first wife and mother of his two children, Brenda Joyce Hamblen Bex, Sharon’s beloved aunt Ethel Toon and her dearest first cousin, Loren E. Edmondson. Mike’s mother, Helen Dubois Holmes; and Mike’s brother, Gary Wayne Holmes. Sharon passed away on February 1, 2021. Funeral services will be conducted at Greiner Funeral Home, 2005 N. 13th St., Terre Haute, IN, 47804 with a visitation beginning at 3 PM until 7 PM on Monday, February 8, 2021. Funeral services for Sharon will be on Tuesday, February 9, 2021 at 11 AM in Greiner Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the American Heart Association and or The Brain Tumor foundation would be appreciated. Enjoy life! It’s not a dress rehearsal. Burial will be in Prairieton Cemetery. Online condolences can be made at www.greinerfuneralhome.com

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