Sharon Marie Millsap

MILLSAP, SHARON MARIE (1950 ~ ). One of the highest points in the Texas State Cemetery is Republic Hill where Stephen F. Austin is interred. Just down the grassy hillside of Republic Hill is Statesman’s Meadow. There in Section 1 (E) Row: S, Number:31, lies the headstone of another remarkable Texan, Sharon Millsap. Herself, an immigrant, like Austin, Houston, Crockett, Bowie, Fannin and many others, she came to Texas with her husband and children.

Sharon Marie Getty Millsap was born in 1950 in Heidelberg, Germany.   Her parents, Lt. Col. Charles William Getty and Henrietta Frances Wilzbacher Getty, lived nearby where Col. Getty was stationed with the United States Army.  Colonel Getty had served on General Eisenhower’s staff, and was awarded the Bronze Star for helping prove the logistical feasibility of Operation Overlord (the invasion of Normandy, France) in World War II.

Sharon attended Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg, Virginia, where during the spring of her junior year (1971), she met 2nd Lt. Mike Millsap, United States Marine Corps.  They married in the summer of 1971 in the Chapel at Ft. Lee, Virginia.

While Mike was training with the Marines, Sharon also trained, to be a certified hospital ward clerk. She was offered a position at a nearby hospital in California, but the pending birth of their first daughter, put pursuit of that profession on hold.  For Sharon, caring for her family, her husband and four children was her profession. However, she also served with distinction in various staff positions, primarily in the field of education with the Eanes ISD and the University of Texas System. Sharon also founded a successful wall-upholstery business in the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex and in Austin.

Sharon’s husband’s career paths made the creation of homes in both Fort Worth and Austin feasible.  They eventually settled in the outskirts of Austin, in the Texas Hill Country.

After retirement, Sharon became a volunteer driver for the American Cancer Society’s Road to Recovery Program. In addition she coordinates the drivers for Travis and Williamson counties. Her service has become much more than merely driving patients to their appointments. She sees this as an integral part of support to both the patients and their families. To Sharon, driving is an avenue to be a resource to the patients; letting them know that there are others in addition to their families and health care team that truly care for them. They often became close friends.

Sharon also serves on the Lake Travis Fire Rescue Citizen’s Advisory Committee. Following the wildfires of 2011, she initiated and organized efforts in her neighborhood to educate the residents on the Fire Wise Program and evacuation preparation.

Sharon’s interests are in creating – through gardening, yarn projects, writing, refurbishing furniture, and friendships. Interested in the why of things, she is always curious about the origins of ideas. Sharon nurtures family togetherness and encourages a community spirit. Sharon’s credo is: faith, family, and friends and helping those in need.

Together, Sharon and Mike reared four children and have seven grandchildren. 

Source: Estate of Sharon and M.D. Millsap