News

    DELRAY BEACH — William “Bill” Lawrence Sherman, 95, an American patriot, died of natural causes at his home in Delray Beach on Oct. 19.
    Mr. Sherman is survived by his loving wife of 73 years, Adlyn Foster Sherman, their four children, Lynda Sherman-Strand of Carmel, Calif., William L. Sherman Jr. of Las Vegas, James M. Sherman of Boynton Beach and John P. Sherman of Rye, N.Y., seven grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren, and his only sister, Ellen Van Auken, who resides in Cleveland Heights, Ohio.
    Born July 28, 1922, in Utica, N.Y., son of Ernest Alexander and Margaret McMahon Sherman, Mr. Sherman was raised in New Hartford. He attended New Hartford High, where he met his future wife.
    Mr. Sherman was the first high school student to enlist in the Navy V-12 program, a forerunner of ROTC. On July 1, 1943, he was called to duty and attended the Naval War College in Newport, R.I., then went on to Mare Island in California.  
    In 1944 he married his high school sweetheart in San Francisco before serving aboard Amphibious Group Command ships USS Eldorado, USS Panamint and USS Mount McKinley.  He was appointed to the staff of Adm. Lawrence Reifsnider, commander of the Amphibious Group Four Command.
    Mr. Sherman was on the admiral’s staff on board the flagship USS Panamint for the entire battle of Okinawa. For a short time he was with the war correspondent Ernie Pyle, of whom he had fond memories.
    When World War II ended, Mr. Sherman and his wife moved back to New York, where he attended college at St. Lawrence University and graduated in 1947. He was a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity.
    Upon graduation, Mr. Sherman returned to Utica and entered the insurance business. He was very active in civic affairs, serving as president of the Utica Life Underwriters and chairman of the Utica Chapter American Red Cross. While serving as chairman, he was instrumental in establishing the Red Cross blood donation program.  
    The Shermans moved to Philadelphia in 1953, then to Baltimore for 38 years. Mr. Sherman was the senior economic development officer reporting directly to the governor of Maryland. He also served his community as president of the Oriole Advocates Inc. and secretary of Oriole Advocates Charitable Foundation.
    Mr. Sherman was a visionary and organizer for the preservation of the Babe Ruth birthplace next to Camden Yards in Baltimore, and lector for 20 years at St. Pius Church in the same city.  
    After his retirement in 1998, the Shermans moved to Delray Beach. There, he served as a life member of the VFW of Delray Beach and member of St. Vincent Ferrer Church.
    Mr. Sherman’s great-great-grandfather Amos Plumb Sherman served on the Massachusetts Line during the Revolutionary War when he was 19 years old. At 53, he reenlisted and served during the War of 1812. Great-grandfather Nathan P. Sherman was born to Amos Plumb and Patience Sherman in 1819 and served in the Civil War, fighting at Gettysburg on July 2-3, 1863, with the Vermont Volunteers Company E, 14th Regiment, and was wounded during Pickett’s Charge on July 3, 1863.
    A memorial service was held at St. Vincent Ferrer Church, Delray Beach. A reception with an Honor Guard followed at Barr Terrace in Delray Beach. Burial was in Utica.
    Memorial contributions may be made to Wounded Warriors and/or The American Legion.

— Obituary submitted by the family