Sharon Gisele Harrell (1/9/66) was born and adopted in Las Vegas, NV, by her loving father, Thomas Charles "TC" Harrell (originally from Baton Rouge, LA) and mother, Marie-Claude Mertz (Harrell Ross; originally of France; 11/26/39-6/13/98). Sharon adored her parents and often referred to them with pride as the best parents anyone could possibly have. Soon after Sharon was adopted, TC was deployed to Vietnam, and Sharon and her mother, Marie-Claude, moved to France to live with Marie-Claude's family during his deployment. As a result, French was Sharon's first language, and it was the only language she knew until she returned with both of her parents to live in Las Vegas when she was 5 years old.
Around the age of 12, Sharon was told that she was adopted and that information was available about her birth parents if she ever wished to attempt to make contact. Being very content with her family life and with all the love and warmth from her extended family, she expressed no interest in reaching out until years later. In the meantime, Sharon graduated from Rancho High School in Las Vegas, and she learned all of the skills needed to become an expert in Food Prep and Food Services during her career at Caesars Palace.
During Sharon's adolescent years, TC and Marie divorced, and Marie Claire married Timothy Ross. From this union, Sharon was thrilled and proud to gain her one and only sister, Ja'Lisea Ross, who now survives Sharon along with Ja'Lisea's three children, Gi'Ana Bolin, Jai'La McCree, and Jai'Len Hicks.
In 1990, Sharon decided to search for and easily found her biological parents, Lorraine Noirot (4/5/42-2/16/08; from northern Michigan and of French descent) and Leroy "Roy" Frasier (7/6/37-12/29/17; of Brooklyn, NY; and wife, Gillian Bowen Frasier). Lorraine and Roy had met while working in the Peace Africa. Sharon's kind and generous spirit overflowed into the Frasier family and they returned her love with grateful hearts for her presence in their lives.
Sharon's mother's (Marie-Claude's) early passing in June 1998 was a great blow to Sharon, and she was determined to remain extremely close to TC and TC's family, especially after several of them came west to Las Vegas and California after Hurricane Katrina. While Sharon had always desired to be a school teacher and gradually completed her classwork to do so, she decided to open a restaurant in 2004 using a family recipe for barbeque sauce that dated back to 1902, and named the restaurant after her father, TC. Sharon was very proud of her father and her family, and she was thrilled to be able to offer employment to friends and family members when they needed it. Sharon was dedicated to maintaining a down-home personal feel that made her customers seem more like family. What was most important to her was what was always most important - family, community, and providing delicious food.
Business grew rapidly and then exploded after a 2007 restaurant reviewing in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Heidi Knapp Rinella, called TC's barbeque the best barbeque she had tasted in Las Vegas, in which she gave it perfect scores across the board and the following comment: "As for us, we'll invoke TC's motto: 'The way to a person's heart is through the ribs,'" she wrote.
In a recent article, Sharon was quoted as saying, "It just feels good to know that you've touched someone, even if no one else knows about it. We just believe in doing the right thing and being good to people. My family is what inspires me. Family is everything. This restaurant is just an extension of that. You can't teach someone to care about people. It's part of who you are."
Activism, fighting for equality, and helping people in need. That is not just what Sharon did, it was who she was. As a result. TC's World Famous Rib Crib participated in several community events over the years, including providing catering for the Las Vegas Boxing Hall of Fame and the Holy Smoke - Misfit Missionaries group, who help the homeless population living in the tunnels of Las Vegas. She consistently donated hundreds of burgers for the homeless on Sundays. In 2017, the restaurant provided dinner to a weary group of 70 players and staff of the Miami Central rockets high school football team was left stranded by Hurricane Irma in Las Vegas after playing a game against local high school, Bishop Gorman. While waiting for airports to reopen and communication with family members to be restored after the storm, TC's Rib Crib stepped in to provide whatever was needed. Most recently, TC's donated food for forty people at the non-profit event, "Are You the Woman at the Well?", Women's Workshop at the Beacon Center, to help motivate and encourage women who have been victims of domestic violence and abuse.
To satisfy her desire to make an impact on the lives of young people while running the restaurant (instead of teaching), Sharon used every opportunity to mentor dozens of young people who she lovingly referred to as her daughters, little sisters or her little cousins. Consistent with her generous and caring spirit, she cared for her biological mother Lorraine, and her father, TC, until her death in 2008 and his death in 2015.
Some of Sharon's favorite past times were a good comedy show, and good Vegas show, spending time with family, and she LOVED old photographs and scrapbooking. Things that her loved ones will never forget about her include how she always lovingly exclaimed as she burst out into her infectious laughter, "You are crazy!" and "I LOVE YOU!" and how she always made every single friend, play sister/brother, and play cousin BELIEVE that YOU were indeed her FAVORITE of all!
Sharon is survived by tons of nieces, nephews, cousins, and extended family members and friends who adored Sharon more than words can say. WE LOVE YOU SHARON! (and we know that she loves us back!)
