Daniel Wade Sharp June 21, 1974 – September 15, 2024
It is with great sadness that the family and friends of Dan Sharp announce his passing on Sunday, September 15, 2024.
Dan was born on June 21, 1974, to Dennis and Patricia Ann (Redmon) Sharp in Corvallis, Oregon. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, Dan showed early brilliance and talent with gifts as diverse as they were strong. A powerful multi-sport athlete and academically gifted young man, Dan graduated from West Albany High School in 1992. Dan attended The University of Texas at Austin, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering with a minor in economics in 1997.
After graduating from The University of Texas School of Law in 2001, Dan began a 23-year-long career as an intellectual property lawyer, serving clients around the world. From working as a talented patent litigator, to serving as associate vice president of research and the director of the Office of Technology Commercialization at his beloved alma mater, The University of Texas, and most recently, as senior corporate intellectual property counsel to Rimini Street, a global leader in technology support systems, Dan’s work had far-reaching and lasting impact. He is a former federal law clerk, serving the Hon. T. John Ward (Ret.) in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.
In April of 2011, at his law school’s class reunion, Dan reconnected with a classmate, Maura Brady, a labor and employment lawyer. The two immediately fell deeply in love, marrying in Maura’s hometown of Covington, Louisiana, on April 21, 2012. They made their home together in Hong Kong and Austin before eventually moving to Fort Davis, Texas. Dan loved Maura with all his heart, as he would say, and was loved by her the same.
Never one to sit idle or shy from a challenge, in 2018 Dan and Maura founded Sharp Family Vineyards in the Texas Davis Mountains AVA, reestablishing the historic Blue Mountain Vineyard and growing cabernet sauvignon at 5,600’ elevation in rocky, volcanic soil. Over the years, Dan and Maura have contributed greatly to the wine industry both philanthropically and as grape growers. They put their hearts and souls into the Davis Mountains building Sharp Family Vineyards.
With regular updates on social media about life on the ranch, Dan put the same passion into the vineyard as he did so many other things. His inquisitive style and thirst for knowledge matched his thirst for good wine, good food, and sharing with good friends. Conservation was top of mind for Dan — the Sharps always planned to plant only a small fraction of their land and leave the rest for the native wildlife. They have partnered with Borderlands Research Institute to study the Montezuma quail on their property, and have worked with a Sul Ross University range management student in the vineyard.
In recent years, Dan and Maura were returning regularly to and preparing to live part time in the beautiful Hill Country area of Texas, where they began their married life. Dan was a member of Escondido Golf and Lake Club in Horseshoe Bay, Texas, and looked forward to many rounds of golf and days in the bass boat there to come.
Dan made a powerful contribution and impact wherever he lived. Dan and Maura supported numerous charitable efforts and were active both in the Austin and West Texas communities in ways both simple and grand. Dan was a man of a thousand hobbies. And he was no dilettante. Dan went deep on topics he loved. Whether it was bass fishing, calf roping, competition cycling, golf, hunting, guitar, barbeque, or billiards, he pursued his passions with considerable energy and infectious enthusiasm.
Dan is remembered as a devoted, loving, generous, open-hearted man whose loyalty to those he loved never wavered. Strong-willed, tenacious, intellectually curious, and steadfast, Dan was a true original. Predeceased by his mother Pat Sharp, Dan is survived by his beloved wife Maura Brady Sharp; his father Dennis Sharp; his sister Dee Sharp Heinz and husband Brian Heinz of Salem, Oregon; niece and nephew Emma and Spencer Heinz; father- and mother-in-law William and Angela Brady of Covington, Louisiana; brother-in-law Kelly Brady and wife Janet Chaney Brady of Humble, Texas; nieces Mckinley, Evyn, and Kate Brady, seven godchildren, and countless friends and extended family who miss him with deep and never-ending love.
Dan is also survived by his constant companions, his beloved spaniels Waylon and Emmylou. A celebration of Dan’s life will be held at 10:30 a.m. on October 5, 2024, at Hyde Park Baptist Church Chapel, 3901 Speedway, Austin, Texas 78751. Visitation will immediately precede the service beginning at 9:30 a.m. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider a contribution in Dan’s memory to the Children’s Advocacy Center of Central Texas (cacct.com), ABC House/The Children’s Advocacy Center serving Benton & Linn Counties and based in Albany, Oregon (abchouse.org), or Grand Companions in Fort Davis, Texas (grandcompanions.org).
Remembrances and condolences may be shared with the family at Mobile Mortician of Texas’ web site: www.mmoftexas.com