William Wayne Sharkey
Born: March 11th, 1923
Died: August 11th, 2006
Obituary
William Wayne Sharkey, 83, of Burlington, Iowa, died at 6:15 PM Friday, August 11, 2006 at his residence. Born March 11, 1923 in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, he was the son of William A. and Ernestine Hester (Lyman) Sharkey. On July 8, 1945 he married Mary Elizabeth Swan in Burlington, Iowa. Mr. Sharkey graduated from Burlington High School in 1941 and attended Burlington Junior College and Milwaukee State Teachers College. Mr. Sharkey was a US Army Air Corps Veteran, serving from 1942 to 1946, during which time he was a prisoner of War from 1944 to 1945 and was awarded the Purple Heart, Prisoner of War Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross. He was an Associate in Ministry for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and Business Administrator at Messiah Lutheran Church of Burlington for thirty years, during the period of 1960 to 1990. He was an Emeritus Member of the National Association of Church Business Administration, Messiah Lutheran Church of Burlington, former member of the Burlington Lions Club and former President of the Des Moines County Heart Association. He also served since its conception, as Treasurer of the Christian Action Committee of Burlington for many years. Survivors include his wife Mary Elizabeth Sharkey of Burlington; daughter Susan G. (Bob) Hinz of Ann Arbor, Michigan; four grandchildren, Angela, Kathryn and Martin Sharkey and Richard Hinz; two great grandchildren; one half brother John Sharkey of Port Saint Lucie, Florida; nieces; and nephews. His parents, son David A. Sharkey and one half brother preceded him in death. A memorial for Messiah Lutheran Church and Great River Hospice has been established.