Scharr was born and raised in St. Louis. She earned her bachelor's degree from Harris Teachers College (now Harris-Stowe State College) in 1929. While she was at college, she began to become interesting in flying. She started teaching in elementary schools in St. Louis after college. In 1934, she earned her master's degree in education from the University of Missouri at Columbia. Scharr started flying in 1935. In 1938, she was working as a flight instructor at Lambert Field, where she met her husband, Harold N. Scharr. The couple married in 1939 and she was forced to quit teaching after she married. In 1940, Scharr became the first woman to earn her commercial license at Lambert Field. After she was forced out of teaching public school, she went on to teach at the Civilian Pilot Training Program at St. Louis University.
