Sharon Bryant, affectionately known as ‘Zah Zah,’ has climbed the stairway to heaven after a four-year battle with dementia. She is now free and soaring with the angels. Let’s hope they have chocolate and happy hour.
Sharon’s parents were Truman “Jake” and Jewel Straughan in Tecumseh Oklahoma. Her light was so bright you could see it even as a little girl. Sharon was the star of her high school play, Rodeo Queen, and Homecoming Queen. She made her hometown her oyster.
Sharon had a little gypsy in her soul, after leaving Oklahoma in the mid 60’s with her daughter she moved to New Jersey then after a vacation to the US Virgin Islands they moved there in 1970. St. Thomas became home and her happy place.
Sharon went through life with a can-do attitude. One of her first jobs was at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma. She later opened her own boutique in Parsippany, NJ, became general manager of Sussex watch factory in St. Thomas, and had her own coral shop and Yacht Brokering company.
All throughout life, Sharon had a magnetic aura around her. At the height of the disco era, she was in a club in St. Thomas when movie star John Travolta walked in. He noticed her immediately and the two danced the night away…
In St. Thomas, she served as a reliable and wise mother figure to many. Her superpower was that she made everyone feel special. Even if you only met Sharon once, you would remember her and feel uplifted by her positive energy.
In 2005, Sharon moved to Banner Elk, NC, where she volunteered as a receptionist at the local elementary school. Her primary duties were chief Band-Aid administrator and hug deliverer to the kids. Sharon said this was the most rewarding job she ever had.
Sharon made an occasion out of everything. While living in New Jersey, she would take her daughter into New York City to see plays or buy school clothes. The pair would conclude their trip with dinner at Top of the Sixes. These are memories her daughter will treasure forever.
But Sharon wasn’t just good to the people she loved. She also kept a special place in her heart for animals. She adored all animals, even fish. Once, when her cat caught hold of the goldfish, Sharon took the fish from the cat’s mouth and proceeded to give the little swimmer mouth-to-mouth. The fish survived but never swam near the top of the fishbowl again.
When the opportunity presented itself, Sharon loved boating, especially in the Virgin Islands. She also enjoyed cooking, gardening, and holiday celebrations. Above all, though, Sharon took no greater delight than when she was with her daughter and grandsons. She loved them fiercely.
Sharon leaves behind, her daughter, Holly Ann Palm, and her grandsons, Chase and Preston Palm. She is preceded in death by her parents, her brother, Thomas Straughn, and her son-in-law Peter Palm.
Services to be held in Banner Elk and in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands will be planned and announced later.
Words of comfort may be e-mailed to the family by going to the website; www.webbfh.com, selecting Sharon Bryant’s name and then you may sign her guestbook.
Webb Funeral Home has been entrusted with the arrangements for Mrs. Bryant and is honored to be serving the Bryant family.
Mrs. Bryant’s obituary has also been posted on Facebook for viewing.
