Sharon Gragg

Sharon passed away on October 15th, 2025 following a lengthy illness. Sharon was born in Hope, AR on September 16, 1947, a true baby boomer, to the late John David and Arlene Wortham Frith. Like many couples of their generation, David and Arlene spent their first years of marriage separated by WWII and the fight against fascism, David as a medical corpsman in North Africa and Arlene working at the old proving grounds in Hope under Major Paul Klipsch. Sharon was 12 when her father David passed away unexpectedly at the home. Arlene returned to school becoming a medical technician and single mother raising Sharon and her younger brother, Daniel, and caring for her own mother, Dora McCaskill Wortham, who also lived at home.

Sharon was an excellent student and graduated with honors from Hope High School in 1965. She was the proud editor of the Hope High Bobcat yearbook. Sharon attended Southern State College in Magnolia, once again graduating with honors and as the editor of the SSC Mulerider yearbook. Following graduation, Sharon and her first husband settled in Hope, near her beloved aunt Gwen Frith, and taught school at Springhill and Bodcaw, AR. Sharon always joked that her teaching experience convinced her pursuing another vocation was her personal path forward. She moved to Fayetteville where she graduated from the U of A and began her career as an accountant and CPA.

Following her graduation, Sharon accepted a position at what was then Phillips Petroleum Company in Bartlesville, OK. During her years in Bartlesville, Sharon took advantage of the beauty of Arkansas and spent many days hiking the Ouachitas. She was never a rough camping girl, but the beauty of the mountains was a source of joy her entire life. In her later years, she became an avid collector of the pastel landscapes of Shirley Anderson because, as she said, they reminded her of those days spent surrounded by Arkansas’s natural beauty. Her favorite places to visit were the Ouachitas, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Santa Fe, NM.

Sharon continued her career at Phillips, surviving the many ups and downs of the oil industry. In the 1990’s Phillips merged with Conoco, and Sharon was offered the opportunity for a new adventure accepting a transfer to the company’s corporate headquarters in Houston. In a male-dominated industry, Sharon stood out and retired as the first female manager of the Conoco/Phillips SEC reporting division. As was her way, Sharon was particularly proud that she survived the multiple rounds of layoffs, while her two ex-husbands, both employees of Phillips, did not. Sharon eventually retired and relocated to Little Rock to be closer to her brother, Daniel, and his family.

While living in Little Rock, Sharon served as the treasurer of the Master Gardners, volunteered at 10,000 Villages and the Clinton Library, travelled around Arkansas with her brother and sister-in-law revisiting favorite haunts in Eureka Springs and taking great pleasure in Crystal Bridges. Sharon was a cat lover and the loss of her Abyssinians, Tequila and Brandy, and her Russian Blues, Stormy and Smokey, marked the end of a lifetime of feline friendships. She was a proud liberal and supporter of progressive causes. Her later years were hard ones for her and her strongly-held beliefs, particularly a woman’s right to choose. She was horrified by the election of 2016 and never truly recovered from the events of January 6th and the 2024 election. She surrounded herself with beauty through her collection of gems and minerals and works by many local artists. Sharon had a sustaining interest in the mind-body connection and spiritual awareness and growth, and she never shied away from spiritual introspection.

Sharon is survived by her brother, Daniel Frith, her sister-in-law Libby Hendrix Frith, her niece, Sarah Coleman, nephew-in-law, Bob Coleman, great-niece, Maya Coleman, nephew, David Frith, and cousins Russell Hallum and Barbara Morgan. She is preceded in death by her parents, David and Arlene Wortham Frith of Hope, AR; aunts and uncles, Dave and Lola Wortham Padfield of Newark, NJ and Hope, AR and Bill and Grace Wortham Hallum of Wichita Falls, TX; cousin Ken Padfield of Aiken, SC; and niece Madison Frith.

Following Sharon’s wishes, her remains will be cremated and the the family will scatter them at spots in Arkansas that were meaningful to her. The Frith family wishes to thank the staff at The Manor, Fox Ridge Chenal, and Hickory Heights Nursing Facility for their care and support in recent years. We especially want to thank her friends Shirley Anderson, Linda Hicks and Katina Ray for their support and kindness.