John Charles Sharkey
December 26, 1950 ~ September 6, 2019
John C. Sharkey, 68, of McLean VA and Steamboat Springs, CO, died suddenly on September 6, 2019, of a heart attack. He retired from the US Department of Labor in 2006 after 30 years of service with the federal-state unemployment insurance system. He is survived by his wife, Cheryl Atkinson, son John R. Sharkey, parents Stan and Donna Sharkey, and brother F. Steven Sharkey.
A memorial service will be held on September 14 at 11:00 AM at Money and King Funeral Home, 171 W Maple Ave., Vienna, VA. Preceding the memorial service, friends and family will have an opportunity to visit from 10:00-11:00 AM. Memorial contributions may be made to the National Trust for Historic Preservation or the Animal Welfare League of Arlington Virginia.
A memorial service will be held on September 14 at 11:00 AM at Money and King Funeral Home, 171 W Maple Ave., Vienna, VA. Preceding the memorial service, friends and family will have an opportunity to visit from 10:00-11:00 AM. Memorial contributions may be made to the National Trust for Historic Preservation or the Animal Welfare League of Arlington Virginia.
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John was a faithful friend and supportive person. I will miss him deeply. We met at Bismarck High School, roommates and fraternity brothers at the Univ of ND sharing many special experiences. We kept in touch during the years and recently spent time with John & Cheryl in Steamboat Springs. He was a man of high integrity and a class act person. Love and support to Cheryl and family.
Condolences to your family! I am a neighbor of the Sharkey family in Bismarck I am so sorry for your loss!! Sharon Maas
I served with John for one year on the Board of Directors at Canyon Creek Condominiums in Steamboat Springs. John was a tireless volunteer to make our community in Steamboat better. We will miss him tremendously. Cheryl is in our thoughts and prayers during this unexpected time of sadness.
My husband and I rented a unit at Canyon Creek condos in Steamboat directly below John & Cheryl three summers ago. When our daughter & her family moved to Steamboat that summer we decided to buy a unit and we became second floor neighbors of John & Cheryl. John was especially helpful in answering any questions we had regarding the property before purchasing. He and Cheryl brought a sense of community to everyone at Canyon Creek. I have spent a few very happy hours on their deck enjoying learning more about them individually and as a couple. I will treasure the memory of John, Cheryl & Kate relaxing on their deck as I enter and leave my condo. John will be missed by many; Cheryl, my thoughts and prayers are with you during this very difficult time. Please keep in touch with us.
John and I started researching our Sharkey family together on Ancestry.com several years ago. Our families emigrated together from Ireland in the mid-1800 and they were always connected by locality if not by lineage. The two of us slowly pieced together our families’ stories from the available records until we finally discovered our common connection. While our Sharkey families were not from the same lineage, the families did become one with the marriage of our 2nd great aunt and uncle in 1886. John was an avid family genealogist and I will miss our shared discoveries. Happy trails John, Bob Bertram
I’m truly at a loss for words. John played such a big part in giving me some of the best memories and happiness a sentimental person like myself could have. Our Grandpa Sharkey’s are brothers and we met on Ancestry. He shared some very priceless photos of my grandpa, great grandparents, great great grandparents and families. Not to mention some great stories too. My sister and our husbands met up with JC and his beautiful wife ( along with Puppy Kate ) on his way through Kentucky one year and we had dinner together. I will truly miss him and will be forever grateful for all of his hard work and dedication to his Ancestry page that he loved so much. I am so sorry and send all my love and prayers to his family. I am on the left and my sister Joanne is on the right.
My sincere sympathy to Cheryl and family. I always appreciated John’s happy smile and good cheer. David E. Balducchi
Cheryl and family, please accept my condolences. John was an exceptional civil servant at USDOL. Whenever I needed something from John he always readily provided what I needed. I will always remember and appreciate how kind he was to my son when he interned with John. John’s support and help was a big boost to Erik as he began his career in information technology. I also have many fond memories of John presenting at various meetings of NASWA about the work of the Information Technology Support Center. John was a key person in making that work, and always with a smile and good humor.
Cheryl, I am very sorry for you loss.
John and I go way back to Richholt School and were great friends back then. I have recently renewed our friendship at the BHS 50th Class reunion and we took off right where we left off. I am going to miss John immensely as are all the BHS Class of 68 are. RIP ole Bismarck Demon
Our thoughts are with you as we are out of Country until the end of the month. Such sad news. Our deepest sympathies. Irene and Richard Lynn
Cheryl, the team at Steamboat Resorts send our prayers and sympathy. John was a kind man, and left us too soon.
What a shock. We can’t believe that he’s gone. We were so lucky to have John in our lives. Over the past 13 years, we have spent time with John and Cheryl in Colorado, West Virginia, North Carolina and with our Book Club in Virginia. We will miss him terribly. This is our favorite photo of John, taken at his cabin in West Virginia. Our deepest sympathies to Cheryl and family. Carol Ann and Ken Linder
John was a super guy with an easy going, pleasing personality. He was a pleasure to work with and very conscientious. One of the things that stands out in my mind is the way he diligently led his team in dealing with the Y2K fiasco to ensure UI systems were trouble free. John, along with a crew, rang in 2000 at the office to confirm all the hard work and dedication paid off. It’s hard to lose a member of the UI family at such a young age. Heart felt condolences to Cheryl and the family.
John was a wonderful neighbor and friend in our River Ridge community. We both had Golden Retriever dogs who were related from the same breeder. He was always so kind to us and we will really miss him. Big hugs to Cheryl during this difficult time. Love, Buddy & Rob