Richard Sherman

Richard A. Sherman, creative thinker, relentless perfectionist, rugged outdoorsman, sports enthusiast, and beloved husband of Patricia Elizabeth Sherman, died Sunday, Feb. 1, 2015. He was 79 years old.

Rich worked tirelessly to perfect his abilities at every endeavor he undertook. A strong leader, he worked as a manufacturing executive for many years. He was an innovative thinker, an excellent problem solver, and a gifted listener.

An Engineer by education, he carried that sense of tenacity and precision into many avenues of his life. His talent for fine woodworking was parleyed into gorgeous handcrafted pieces of furniture that he gifted to those that he loved. His appreciation for beauty in nature led to a second career growing plants and flowers and designing artistically landscaped perennial gardens. His aspiration to become a scratch golfer was his nemesis.

Rich was avid in his pursuit of the great outdoors. Every summer, he headed out on long vacations with his family (and all three of their Springer Spaniels) to the seashore and beyond. Whether looking through the eye of a hurricane in Nova Scotia, relaxing on the beach at Assateague Island, or learning how to catch blue claw crabs on the Chesapeake Bay in a canoe, those summer camping trips were great adventures. He loved hunting, fishing, and cross-country skiing and he inspired others with his enthusiastic spirit.

He was a life long learner. Endlessly interested in the world around him, he took classes in history and different schools of thinking right up until the week he died.

He was honest, trustworthy, and he had a great sense of humor. He valued those qualities in others above all else. He greatly valued the diverse and interesting people that were his friends. Rich cared deeply about the welfare and happiness of others.

Rich was a tremendous sports aficionado and a zealous New England Patriots fan. He was incredibly excited about super bowl XLIX. HIS team was playing against a spectacular opponent with the best defense in the league. How he would have loved that game!

New England’s win exemplified so many of his beliefs in life: Your greatest satisfactions come from your most difficult challenges; You have to fight boldly for what you want and you must never ever give up; If you put your whole heart and soul into working towards your goal, you can find a way to accomplish what seems impossible.

He was a beloved husband, father, grandfather and friend. In addition to his wife, he is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, Robert Sherman and Michelle Rookey of Minnesota; his daughter and son-in-law, Linda and Todd Rhodes of Massachusetts; his daughter, Patricia Sherman of Massachusetts; his sister, Dorothy Hadigian of Texas; his granddaughters, Jennifer, Susan, and Robin Rhodes of Massachusetts, Lauren Butterbaugh of Minnesota and Leah Sherman of North Dakota.

Friends may call at the Sherman Home from 2 to 4 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 5, 2015. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to his favorite charity: Citrus Blessings, PO Box 2253 Inverness, FL 34451.

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