Richard Sherman's Obituary
Richard Edward Sherman, 100 years, passed away on January 6, 2011. He was born in Wallerville, MS, a small community near New Albany, MS. He was the son of Dudley Wade and Alta Funk Sherman. He was preceded in death by Katie Sloan Sherman, his wife of 78 years. They were married in Blue Mountain, MS in 1930 by the same pastor who had conducted the vows for Katie’s parents in 1911. Mr. Sherman was a lifelong carpenter, noted for his skilled craftsmanship and attention to detail in home construction throughout the Memphis area. He later progressed into commercial construction and was a foreman in the construction of the Clark Tower on Poplar Avenue, at that time the tallest building in Memphis. He helped build Wallerville Baptist Church in 1934 while first starting out in his trade. Brother Percy Ray, a noted preacher of his time, was pastor of the church and later asked him to help build other churches throughout the mid-south. During WWII, he was refused enlistment because he was already supporting the war effort working in munitions and later, ship building in Pascagoula, MS. Mr. Sherman was an avid outdoorsman who loved to hunt and fish. He was able to continue this pursuit until his early nineties. He was a long time member of Highland Heights Baptist Church. He is survived by his four children: Wanda Shaw (Earl, deceased) of Little Rock, AR; Paul Sherman (Sylvia) of Memphis, Richard Sherman (Irene) of Dalworthington Gardens, TX and Gary Sherman (Carol) of Memphis. He also leaves seven grandchildren; Kenneth and Bradley Shaw; David Sherman and Karen Sneed; Karl and Todd Sherman and Christi Knox. He also leaves eleven great grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild. Funeral services will be held on Monday 2:30 p.m., January 10, 2011 at Memorial Park Funeral Home with Visitation starting at 1:30 p.m. Interment will be in Memorial Park Cemetery. Memorials in lieu of flowers may be sent to Highland Heights Baptist Church; 675 National St.; Memphis, TN 38122 or the charity of the donor’s choice.
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