Robert Steven Sharples

Robert Steven "Steve" Sharples passed away on November 24, 2024 at the age of 74 in his hometown of Tulsa, OK. His battle with serious medical issues in recent years, including kidney disease, showed his courage in facing life's challenges with a smile. Despite the pain, he stayed strong until the end by combating challenges with humor, the way he had done throughout his life. He was the third child and only son to Robert Sharples and Eunice Virginia "Rusty" Sharples of Tulsa. He was always fond of Western films and as a child, he was known to wear his cowboy boots, a wardrobe staple that he continued throughout his lifetime and later included Western leather vests, bolo ties, and his plethora of hats. A natural mind for mathematics, combined with his artistic talent in drawing discovered from an early age, led to a career as a draftsman and specialist in hydrology and transportation design. After graduating from Will Rogers High School, he studied at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah where he met the love of his life and wife of 54 years, Nakita "Nicky" (Sloan) Sharples. They were married on August 15, 1970 and relocated to Tulsa where he later finished his degree at Oklahoma State University and worked in various civil engineering offices and firms including the City of Tulsa, HNTB, Cobb, Meshek and Associates, CEC Engineering, among others. They had two children, daughter Amber and son Daniel. When he wasn't working or enjoying OU, OSU, and TU athletics, he invested in community by organizing medical outreach, driving to Hominy for prison ministry, volunteering and designing chapels for incarcerated populations, and teaching Sunday School to students, among other causes. A member of Eastwood Baptist Church in east Tulsa for nearly 50 years, he was always a humble man and rarely sought attention but served through his generous spirit and keen sense of humor, punctuated by an array of dad jokes. While he became more limited physically due to ongoing health issues, he remained a lifelong learner and an avid reader studying archeology, Biblical theology, and enjoyed sharing his curiosity and discoveries from faith to science and technology with his church family and friends. He loved a wide range of music from composer John Williams to gospel/hymns, rhythm and blues, the Bee Gees, and especially the banjo and bluegrass giants Ricky Skaggs, Rhonda Vincent and Allison Krauss. When he was younger, he enjoyed outings along the golf course with his late brother in laws Don Sloan and Bob Johnson, trips back to the East Coast to visit family, and regional excursions to Branson, Silver Dollar City, and the Talimena drive. Throughout his later years and until the end of his life, he cherished the time he spent with his extended family, especially with his grandchildren Asher, Arthur, and Edith. He is survived by his wife Nicky; daughter Amber Sharples of Oklahoma City (Scott Hale and son Asher Sharples-Borges); son Daniel Sharples of Tulsa (Emily Sharples and children Arthur and Edith); his sisters Gail Williams of Claremore, OK, Gladys Harry of Moore, OK and Gloria Britton of Skiatook, OK; and an extended family full of love including many nieces and nephews. Memorial Service: 2:00 PM Friday, January 24, 2025 at Eastwood Baptist Church, 948 South East Ave., Tulsa, OK 74112. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations are made in honor of The Sharples Family to Clarehouse at 7617 S. Mingo Road, Tulsa, OK 74133.

Robert Steven Sharples

July 30, 1950 - November 24, 2024