Thomas Howard Sherk

July 31, 1951-Nov. 25, 2014 Thomas Howard Sherk passed away at his home on November 25, after a lengthy illness. He was born on July 31, 1951, in Jacksonville, Florida, to Phyllis and the late Maurice D. Sherk. He grew up in Homewood, Alabama and graduated from Shades Valley High School in 1969. Tom married his high school sweetheart, Cathy Jan Coleman in August, 1970, in Yielding Chapel at Birmingham Southern College. He attended Birmingham Southern College then graduated from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 1972, with a degree in Economics, and the Cumberland School of Law in 1980. He was preceded in death by his father, Maurice Davis Sherk, and younger brother, James Ernest Sherk. He is survived by his mother, Phyllis Williams Sherk, his wife, Cathy Sherk and their sons, Jason Sherk and Jonathan (Mindy) Sherk, sisters Linda Gail Sherk and Major General Nancy Lee Sherk Price; nephew, Matthew (Shelley) Sherk and Maggie and Lisa Sherk; sister-in-law, Connie Sherk. In spite of his illness, he was especially delighted to become a grandfather to Vivian and Vance. He worked for Bruno's for 26 years and Books A Million for 8 years. Tom enjoyed being an attorney throughout the years. He was always energetic in his profession and loved telling entertaining stories about his encounters. Tom was a licensed HAM radio operator and relished finding others that he could share Morse Code with. He spent much of his time volunteering helping others as a bell ringer for the Salvation Army and whatever was needed by someone at the moment. His greatest attribute was his friendly personality and the ability to make friends with anyone and everyone. He had a wonderful sense of humor and loved people and loved life. Tom and Cathy were members of the former Aldersgate Methodist Church in Birmingham. A memorial service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations are encouraged to help find a cure for Progressive Supranuclear Palsey, a rare and debilitating disease. More information can be found at: http://www.psp.org/research/brain-bank.html .