Kathleen Sharkey's Obituary
Loving and devoted wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother, Kathleen Sharkey passed away April 18, 2026. Born in March 1937 to Arthur and Cecilia (Marty) Dougherty, Kathleen spent her youth in Decatur. After graduating from St. Teresa High School, she attended Fontbonne College in St. Louis, where she earned her Bachelor’s Degree in 1959. While at a Fontbonne sock hop, she met Philip Sharkey of Clinton, then a medical student at St. Louis University Medical School. Phil and Kathy married in 1958 at St. Thomas Church in Decatur. The young couple then spent time in St. Louis and Oregon, before returning to her native Decatur, where they made their life together, raising six children and being active members of the community. Kathleen loved people, and the twinkle in her eye and the sparkle in her smile lit up any room she entered. We will always remember our times with her having ice cream cones at Krekel’s in Mt. Zion.
Kathy is survived by her devoted husband of nearly seven decades, Dr. Philip Sharkey, as well as her six children, William (Teri) Sharkey of Carmel, Indiana; Dr. Angela (Gerard) Sharkey Lauber of Winston-Salem, North Carolina; Dr. Arthur (Julie) Sharkey of Gainesville, Florida; Bernard (René) Sharkey of Loudon, Tennessee; Kay (Brendan) Doyle of Austin, Texas; Philip H. (Karen) Sharkey II of New York, New York, and her brothers Martin Dougherty of Herndon, Virginia, and Michael Dougherty of Atlanta, Georgia. In addition, Kathleen was a doting grandmother to her seventeen grandchildren and four great grandchildren.
Kathleen was a contagiously positive person deeply loved by her family and many friends. While she will be greatly missed, we will remain forever grateful for having her as part of our lives. The family would like to express their sincere appreciation to the staff of the Sarah Bush Lincoln Willow Breeze Hospice House of Mattoon, where Kathleen spent her last days surrounded by her beloved family. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests having an ice cream at Krekel’s and reminiscing about your favorite memory of a wonderful woman.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
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