Sharon Sue Neal

Sharon Sue (Gibson) Neal, 79, of Noblesville, passed away peacefully in her sleep on Saturday October 24, 2026, surrounded by her family in her home in the woods.

The eldest child of Bill & Betty Gibson, Sharon was born in a log cabin in Wadestown, West Virginia in 1947. She graduated from Crawfordsville High School in 1965, and was a member of the last graduating class of Methodist Hospital School Of Nursing in Indianapolis in 1968. In 1969, The Summer Of Love, Sharon married the love of her life and husband of 52 years, Roger Neal, of Noblesville.

The young couple began their family in 1971. Their early journeys led them to Glendale Fish & Wildlife Area in Daviess County, where Roger served as the wildlife biologist and later property manager. They raised their two children at Glendale for the next fifteen years. In January of 1991, Sharon lost her only sister, in Louisiana, and The Neal family lost all of their earthly possessions in a house fire in Indiana. At a time when most would crumble, Roger & Sharon, with overwhelming support from family and friends, persevered and rallied. Roger took an administrative job in Indianapolis with the Department Of Natural Resources; the family developed land on Roger’s childhood homestead in Noblesville; and they built their forever home: a majestic log home nestled in the woods of Hamilton County.

Sharon was an angel upon this Earth, disguised as a full-time registered nurse. In her 42-year nursing career, she worked all over the state: as an on-call surgical nurse, in the extended care/elder field, and performing essential pre-operative interviews. She was universally respected for her skill and dedication by surgeons, doctors, administrators, and nurses in the surgical field, and fought for the dignity and peace of her elder care patients. She learned that a patient may forget her name, but they would never forget how she made them feel.

Roger and Sharon loved to travel. They worked full time, overtime, and still picked up odd jobs to take their children and grandchildren on the most magical of vacations. For over 50 years, they traversed the hemisphere. From Yellowstone, Yosemite, Alberta, the Black Hills, Disneyland, Dodger Stadium, the Bahamas, Redwood National Forest, Crater Lake, the Grand Canyon, Montana, The Great Smoky Mountains, Mexico, the Grand Tetons, The Alamo, and Alaska, just to name a few.

Sharon loved celebrating Christmas, apple pie, crafting, Bob Evans, orange circus peanuts, The Oak Ridge Boys, Estée Lauder, frozen Bahama Mamas, entertaining & hosting, Cher, chicken Parmesan, M*A*S*H, gardening, The Hallmark Channel, singing, coffee, sheet cakes with walnuts, giving others birthday gifts, Dolly Parton, canning pickles & green beans, mauve pink, butterscotch discs, fresh sheets from the clothesline, Barbra Streisand, Cashmere Woods, her arsenal of glue guns, chicken & noodles, Kenny Rogers, writing Christmas cards, Jane Fonda, watching her grandchildren perform & compete, NCIS, Lorna Doone cookies, Martini & Rossi Asti Spumante, breakfast, Crystal Gayle, orange popsicles, and the literary works of Danielle Steel, Debbie Macomber, and Robyn Carr.

Sharon was a 35-year member and the soul of Union Church in Noblesville. She found immense joy as a 15-year alto in the Hamilton County Silvernotes, a statewide female singing group. She went by many names, to many people: Sharon. Sharon Sue. Susie. Sharn. Mom. But in the end, she was the ultimate grandma: 4’ 9” inches of pure wisdom, patience, humility, razor-sharp wit, kindness, grace, and class. Mamaw Incarnate.

Left with decades of unforgettable memories are her surviving immediate family members: son, Jeff (Jamie) Neal of Vincennes; daughter, Jennifer Schlotter of Noblesville; brother, Ron Gibson of Ladoga; sister-in-law, Darlene (Joel) Musselman of Noblesville; seven grandchildren: Allison (Kyle) Tucker, Haley Neal, Kate (Chris) Conder, Kyle Schlotter, Kolden Schlotter, Chase Neal, Cooper Neal; and nine nieces and nephews.

Leaving this world before Sharon were: her husband, Roger Neal (in December 2021), father, Bill Gibson, her mother, Betty (Strosnider) Gibson, her sister, Sandra (Gibson) Odom, and her faithful canine companion, Heidi.

Visitation will be held Tuesday, October 27 from 4pm to 7pm at Randall & Roberts Funeral Home, 1150 Logan Street, Noblesville, Indiana, 46060. The funeral service will be held Wednesday, October 28, with visitation at 11:00 a.m. and a service at 12:00 noon at Randall & Roberts Funeral Home. Sharon will be laid to rest aside her beloved Roger at Crownland Cemetery, 1776 Monument Street, Noblesville, Indiana, 46060 at a graveside ceremony after the service. 

As an alternative to flowers, friends and family may send a donation in Sharon’s memory to Union Church at 19090 Deshane Avenue, Noblesville, IN, 46060.

Condolences: www.randallroberts.com