AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums Belize Life News Gerry Sharp passes, citrus pioneer, Marie's husband

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Marie's beloved husband, Gerry Sharp.

Gerry Sharp retired from the Citrus Company of Belize before working with Marie at the factory. The Sharp family has a long, rich history in Belize and they were instrumental in the development of the countries Citrus Industry. Multiple generations of Sharp's managed the fundamental citrus operations and the history goes back to H.R. Sharp and G.G.R. Sharp of Jamaica, before Gerry's father, Frank Sharp, took over.

As, Denzel F. Jenkins once said, "the Sharp's must be credited for transforming the Belize Citrus Industry, metaphorically speaking, from a way-side fruit shop to a supermarket. Those brave, bull-headed Jamaicans who the Sharps influenced to come to Belize - names like Ritchie, Holness, Wright, Jones, Bailey, Levy, Burrell, Dickson, Willacy, Cooke, James, Finlayson - became the backbone of what came to be known as the Citrus Growers Association." (Signed) Denzil F. Jenkins, Citrus Grower, Mile 7, Stann Creek Valley Road



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Citrus Icon Gerry Sharp, Dead at 77

A citrus pioneer has passed. On Tuesday, the Sharp family announced that seventy-seven-year-old Gerry Sharp has died. Sharp, who is the husband of Marie Sharp, spent decades working in the citrus industry in southern Belize. According an online statement by the Sharp Family, after Gerry retired from the Citrus Company of Belize, he started to work with his wife at the pepper sauce factory in the Stann Creek Valley. The online post notes that, (Quote) "The Sharp family has a long, rich history in Belize and they were instrumental in the development of the countries' citrus industry. Multiple generations of Sharp's managed the fundamental citrus operations and the history goes back to H.R. Sharp and G.G.R. Sharp of Jamaica, before Gerry's father, Frank Sharp, took over." (Unquote) Gerry was ill and passed away on Tuesday morning in Belize. He will be laid to rest in the Stann Creek Valley on Saturday. The service will be held at the Sacred Heart Church in Dangriga.

Channel 5

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