Terri Sharp

Songwriter, singer, and musician Theresa "Terri" Sharp, age 67, passed away on December 17, 2015 at University Hospital in San Antonio, Texas. Terri was born to Eugenia E. Sharp and William "Bill" A. Sharp on March 24, 1948 in Houston, Texas. Terri's father, a WWII veteran, engineer, and project manager, along with Eugenia and family, continually moved from state to state throughout the east coast, Louisiana, Texas, England, and Trinidad. After much uprooting, Terri enjoyed the stability of returning to and remaining in Houston, Texas through her four years of high school. She graduated from Memorial High School in 1966 as an elected pageant queen Miss Memorial and recording artist having released her first record "A Love That Will Last" her senior year.\r\n\r\nSongbird Terri was beloved for her infectious smile, positive wit, uplifting humor, friendliness, creativity, and emotional insights expressed in her music. Among many other attributes, friends described her as full of life, encouraging, entertaining, and refreshingly funny motivated out of a good-natured heart. One close friend speaks of Terri as a faithful friend for life. She loved a good story, and upon occasion, wrote a few ballads complete with marvelously alive characters displaying deep heartfelt thoughts, emotions, and conflicts arising out of real life drama framed within a musical context.\r\n\r\nAt age 9, Terri wrote her first song. At 16, her successful single record "A Love That Will Last" rose and remained popular on local radio charts offering her opportunities to entertain and perform at numerous venues in her hometown and Texas gulf coast area.\r\n\r\nA gifted songwriter, Terri wrote for three music companies: Hank Williams Jr's Bocephus Music, Merle Kilgore's Paradise Cove, and Acuff Rose. The song "Wild Streak" which Terri co-authored with Hank Williams Jr. became the title song of his gold record album and tour in 1987. Terri was the only songwriter hired to work for Bocephus Music. During this time, Don McLean recorded two of her songs entitled "You Can't Blame the Train" and "Eventually" on his 1987 album "Love Tracks." In his 2007 biography, Don McLean described Terri "as one of the most talented songwriters on the Nashville scene."\r\n\r\nAfter moving to the Hill Country, her love and respect for the Hispanic community, people, and culture grew and strongly impacted her personal and public musical endeavors. Most of her latter compositions and public venues were penned and sung in Spanish.\r\n\r\nIn 1993, as a fairly new Kerrville resident, Terri met director and playwright Susan Balentine. Their love for Patsy Cline brought them together professionally and as friends writing the play "The Life and Times of Patsy Cline." In this musical tribute to Patsy Cline, Terri played the ghost of Dottie West.\r\n\r\nIn 2014, Terri formed her own music company, Heartshake Records, and produced a CD titled "Eventually" assisted by Rick Durrett and sung by Scottish singer and performer Heather Dickson.\r\n\r\nDuring the last two months of her life, while Terri received prayers for healing, Jesus Christ powerfully touched Terri's heart causing many friends and family members to recognize a notable increase of His presence including His peace, gentleness, and love in her life.\r\n\r\nTerri was preceded in death by her older sister Brenda and her parents William A. Sharp and Eugenia E. Sharp. Terri is survived by her son Bruce Evans and wife, Tammy, of Mill Creek, Washington, her ex-husband Butch Merrill, daughter Buffy Merrill Holcomb and husband, Jason, of Nashville Tennessee, granddaughters, Ruby, Merrill, Ava, Lillian, sister Debra Cooper and husband Gary, sister Kim Parker and husband, Tobin, of Kerrville, nephews Schreiner and Tobin Parker, aunts, nieces, many cousins, and dear friends including hundreds of active Facebook friends. \r\n\r\nThe family deeply appreciated the very meaningful private graveside service officiated by the Reverend Stockton Williams on December 22nd. Pastor David Danielson will officiate the upcoming public memorial service assisted by Max Greiner, on Saturday, April 9th, 2016 at Impact Church located at 2031 Goat Creek Road, Kerrville, Texas. Terri's memorial will officially start at 10:45am, but attendees are invited to arrive 30 minutes early to receive ministry through pianist and vocalist David Danielson. A reception will follow the service. \r\n\r\nIn lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Texas Heritage Music Foundation, P. O. Box 291945, Kerrville TX 78029, or to the Kathleen C. Cailloux Humane Society, P. O. Box 294810, Kerrville, TX 78029.\r\n\r\nTerri, your family and friends including many on Facebook will miss you incredibly. Vaya con Dios.