Elizabeth Sharon Shumate

Sharon Shumate has passed away following a lengthy illness. She was a cherished wife, beloved mother, devoted friend, and kind individual who will be missed by those who had the opportunity to know her. Sharon was a native of Louisiana, born to the late J.L. and Wilma Fleming in 1945. She grew up with a passion for horses and family that extended throughout her life. She met her future husband, Ed, through mutual friends in her hometown. After their wedding in 1964, Sharon relocated with Ed to Kingsport where she lived the rest of her life. She began her college studies at the University of Louisiana Monroe. Following the completion of her degree in Education with Math and Business Minors at East Tennessee State University, she became a high school math teacher. After the birth of her daughters, she became a loving homemaker noted for her gourmet Louisiana cooking skills, decorated cakes, and presence at the stables spending time with her horses for as long as her health permitted. Sharon was of the Presbyterian faith. She enjoyed spending time with family and friends at the family lake home. Her life began and ended full of joy from family, horses, and the lake.

She was preceded in death by both her parents; and stepmother, Lee Fleming.

Sharon is survived by her husband of 56 years, Ed Shumate; daughters, Jan Shumate and Susan Shumate, both of Kingsport; sister, Patsy Gadapee of Titusville, FL; and her favorite horses, Noel and Goldie.

An entombment service will be conducted at the Oak Hill Chapel Mausoleum with a celebration of life following, at a later date.