Clay Sharp Jr.

NAPLES, Fla. — Former Navy pilot and business executive Clay LaValle Sharp Jr. flew west on the morning of Sunday, June 26, 2022. He died peacefully in his sleep at his home in Naples with his loved ones by his side.

Val Sharp was born in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, on Sept. 19, 1940. He grew up in nearby Sikeston, Missouri, where he was a standout student and a three-sport athlete at Sikeston High School. He was appointed to the United States Naval Academy where he began his “plebe” year at age 17. Upon his 1962 graduation from Annapolis (where he was one of dozens of midshipmen who insisted he had earned the most demerits in his class), he was off to flight training in Pensacola, Florida, in his red Corvette with his new wife, Christina. He flew for the Navy for the next six years and as an aircraft commander conducted operations in over 30 countries. In his later years, Val looked back at Sikeston, Annapolis, and his time as a naval aviator with great fondness.

After the Navy, Val graduated from Columbia Business School and began a successful career in business. He ultimately became President of Emerson Finance Company, the investment division of Emerson Electric Co. A glint of the unruly carousing of his earlier days remained, even as it evolved into thoughtful conversation over a nice after-dinner drink. “One more scotch and I’ll go quietly” was on occasion his response to a suggestion that it was time to call it a night.

Val Sharp is survived by his beloved wife of 60 years, Christina; daughter, Kira Seabolt; and son Matthew. He leaves five granddaughters and three great-grandchildren, all of whom made him smile and laugh throughout his later years.

A service and reception are planned for early October in Connecticut.