Celebrating the Life of Patty Sharp

Patricia Narelle  (Patty)  Sharp

I’ve known Patty for almost three decades, ever since I first arrived in Emerald Beach. In those early years, I’ll admit, I was far too intimidated to step into her Iyengar classes,  a confession that always made us both laugh whenever I visited her at her shop, Cherry Haven. Patty had that unmistakable blend of strength and softness: tough in all the right ways, yet endlessly kind. Over the years we shared many heartfelt conversations about life, practice, and the deeper threads that shape who we are. Patty has specifically requested no funeral and yet it was clear from the community that they were looking for some way to come together to this icon in our community. So, the family planned a beautiful memorial service a few weeks after Patty’s death.

“Patty, as you can imagine, didn’t want any fuss, no accolades, not a spotlight. But we gather here not just for her, but for her family, for her friends, and for the community that loved her. As we speak her name and recall her warmth, her humour, even her stubbornness, and her fierce love and compassion, may we also feel the strength she gave to so many, and the joy she brought into your lives.

The yoga teacher, B.K.S. Iyengar, once said, “The body is your temple. Keep it pure and clean for the soul to reside in.” Patty lived this, not just through her commitment to yoga, but in how she tended to her relationships, her values, and the people she loved. In remembering Patty today, we are reminded of the beauty and power she carried and how generously she shared it with the world…

… Patty was a woman of great depth, resilience, and compassion. She carried a strength and a lightness of spirit that drew people to her.”

I closed the ceremony, “You will remember Patty for her capacity to guide, to dream, to get things done and her capacity to love. She was determined, loyal and a woman of great strength. Gibran wrote, “For life and death are one, even as the river and the sea are one.” Patty may no longer be here in the way you long for, but she hasn’t vanished. She sensed she would become part of something vast and enduring. Part of the tide, the wind, the memories, and the love that still flows between you.

However, like one of Patty’s Iyengar classes, grief can be tough and unrelenting and we know she would have some words of wisdom to hold you in this time… maybe…Let the waves come. Make space for sadness, for love, for memory. She’d be the first to remind us to breathe. To stick with it. To trust the process. And to celebrate the small wins…and to Yakka, she’d tell you to keep going, don’t drink too much, to stop tormenting the grandkids and make sure you fix up the Kombi!

May you walk from here remembering Patty with love, kindness, a smile and deep gratitude.”

It’s been a few weeks now and I miss seeing her drive past in the Kombi, or stopping to chat on the beach. May she rest in peace and love.