Virginia Lonnon Sharp was born October 11, 1925, as the only child of Jim and Myrtle (Ivy) Lonnon who lived and farmed on the Barton/Stafford County line south of Great Bend. Joining Baker Avenue Baptist Church as a young adult, she began dating her neighbor, Leonard Sharp, a lifetime member of Baker Avenue/Central Baptist Church who lived on a farm 2 miles west down that same county line. Marrying in 1948, they raised a family of four children teaching them about hard work and giving them the knowledge of how their food is grown and how to cook and preserve that food for their meals.

As a long time secretary for the KSU Barton County Extension office, and as an active 4-H family, she shared her love of gardening and cooking with many people locally.  She had raised chickens for fryers and layers all of her life, and with her husband they eventually grew from a 2,000 layer operation, selling eggs to local residents and restaurants, to a capacity of 64,000 caged layers in 1982.

In 2022, she moved to a senior living apartment in Derby. 

Birthday greetings can be sent to: Virginia Sharp, 430 N Derby, Derby, KS 67037.