Email  Print

Henry Sharp

Henry Sharp, 85, of Sonoma, died peacefully at home on Monday, Aug. 8, 2011.

Henry was born in Krakow, Poland, on Sept. 23, 1925, to Jonas and Paula (née Gumplowich) Scharf, and had a younger brother, Marcel.

In 1942, he was interned by the Nazis in the Krakow ghetto, and subsequently in the Birkenau, Jawiszowice, Buchenwald, and Ohrdruf concentration camps. Returned to Buchenwald in 1944, he was liberated in April 1945. Henry emigrated to the United States in 1950, settling in Oakland and finding work on a factory assembly line.

In 1955, he married Rose Rager, his wife for more than 50 years, and became part of her family, including her children, Carole and Lance; grandchildren, Steven, Jonathan, and Camela; and great-grandchildren, Eliza and Josephine.

Henry and Rose moved to Sonoma and bought Sonoma Valley Health Foods in 1968. They ran the store together until their retirement, earning many loyal customers and friends. Henry was a well-known face in Sonoma for the remainder of his years; he was known as a generous, caring person who believed, through his final days, that "there is always hope, and life is good."

Interment services were held on Aug. 10, 2011, at Santa Rosa Memorial Park.

Arrangements under the direction of Daniels Chapel of the Roses, 525-3730.