Born in Chicago, Ill., in 1917, the older of two sons of immigrant parents, George Sharpe attended Cornell College and the University of Illinois Medical School. He remained a proud and involved alumnus of each institution throughout his life.

A residency at Walter Reed Hospital brought him to the Washington, D.C. area at the outbreak of World War II. It was at Walter Reed that he met his wife, Alison Claflin Sharpe (now deceased), who was a physical therapist.

Dr. Sharpe served as a battalion surgeon in World War II, a major life-shaping experience. Although a person with strong pacifist leanings, Dr. Sharpe believed passionately in the ideals of equality and justice for all people, and saw the war as a fight for those beliefs. He served with great distinction, earning four bronze stars.

After returning home, he completed a residency in internal medicine at Crile Veterans Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio, following which he returned to the Washington, D.C. area to establish a medical practice in Kensington, Md., where he practiced for more than 25 years. He served on the staff of Holy Cross Hospital and Suburban Hospital, and at the latter he was chief of medicine. He was also on the faculty of the George Washington University School of Medicine and served as a consulting internist at Chestnut Lodge in Rockville, Md. He was honored to be asked to serve on the President’s Commission on Nursing Home Administration. After retiring from his medical practice, he took positions with the federal government, first at the Bureau of Standards and later at the Food and Drug Administration, where he rewrote labels for aspirin that warned of potential complications from bleeding. Following his retirement he remained active, serving on the medical-school faculty of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, where he taught physical diagnosis. His interest in medical history led him to volunteer as a docent at the National Museum of Health and Medicine. In 1989 he published a book, Brothers Beyond Blood, based on letters he had sent home while overseas that captured his experience in World War II.

Beyond his medical practice and his loving commitment to his family, Dr. Sharpe was engaged in a number of community activities, many reflecting his commitment to human rights and civil liberties, working to advance integration in his community whenever possible. He was active in Democratic politics at a time when the Democratic party in Maryland was in transition from a conservative, Southern-oriented organization to one with a liberal, pro-civil rights position. In his local neighborhood association, he provided leadership to establish a commitment to fair housing. He was also president of the Board of the Community Psychiatric Clinic.

Known for his energy, enthusiasm, and wit, Dr. Sharpe’s interests were intense and diverse, ranging from a love of the natural world, to photography, politics, and music. At his recent 90th birthday celebration, one of his grandsons poignantly stated, “I love that Papa can go into a room full of strangers and walk out with a room full of friends.”

For many years, he and his family enjoyed summer vacations at their home in Oak Bluffs.

He is survived by three children, Jeanette (Robert) Kreiser of Chevy Chase, Md., Martha (Leo) Menestrina of Santa Clara, Calif., and Robert Sharpe, M.D. of Oak Park, Ill.; six grandchildren (Joshua Kreiser and Deborah Kreiser-Francis, David and Lisa Menestrina, and Richard and Jeffrey Sharpe); two great-grandchildren (Julia and Evelyn Francis); and a brother, Laurence (Blanche) Sharpe of Hagerstown, Md.