James Richard Sherman

Whether he knew you or not, the invariable thing Jim always did when he first saw you was try to make you smile - or better yet, laugh. The son of a dour small-town Minnesota banker and bubbly Scandinavian welfare worker from Luverne Minnesota, Jim passed away last week at a memory care hospice facility, continuing to jest and optimistically tease those around him until the day he moved on. Jim met his wife Merlene Gail Thorson while they were students at the University of Colorado in the mid-1950s. Some thought it an improbable match: Midwestern bumpkin paired with fashionable tennis star from the deserts of Arizona? But it worked. They married on June 6, 1957 and celebrated 52 years of marriage until Merlene's untimely passing on July 6, 2009. After graduating in 1957, Jim and Merlene lived briefly in both Minneapolis and Phoenix, but ultimately moved back to Boulder, where they began raising three sons - Chris, Eric and Lincoln. Jim commuted daily to Greely in pursuit of his PhD in Labor Relations at the University of Northern Colorado while Merlene did double-duty as full-time Mom as well as director of the CU College Panhellenic Council. In 1968 Jim moved the family to Golden Valley Minnesota taking a position with the University of Minnesota school of Education. A couple of years later he moved into the private sector serving as a consultant for Educational Management Services, traveling all over the country advising both public and private institutions on a variety of issues. In the mid-80s Jim got the itch to do his own thing, so he scratched it by forming Pathway Books, writing and publishing more than a dozen books. Jim's first book, Stop Procrastinating, Do It! reached the New York Times bestseller list, garnering him several appearances on national TV news and talk shows. Merlene soon joined him as an author, writing her own series of books primarily on the topic of caregiving. Until the late 90s they also ran a series of workshops around the country delivering in-person instruction and advice drawn from their books and experiences. They retired in the early 2000s to spend the summer months enjoying their cabin on Clearwater Lake near the Gunflint Trail in northern Minnesota. In 2001, Jim was contacted by Ken Burns' production company to help with the making of the PBS documentary "The War." The series focused on Luverne and the impact WW2 had on its residents. Jim had boxes of mementos and his own memories that were showcased in the series. Jim and Ken began a great friendship that continued through the past 20 years. Last year Jim became a great-grandfather with the birth of Logan Hayes Miller. He was very proud of Logan and was always wanting to share pictures and stories about his "rambunctious" youngster. Jim was preceded in death by Merlene and his youngest son, Lincoln, and his older brother, Charlie. He is survived by his brother Roger, sons Chris and Eric, nieces Susan Morrison, Nancy Wagner, Anna Porter and Carol Ritter, granddaughters Erin Miller, Annalise Sherman, Sonya Sherman and Linnea Sherman, grandsons AJ Sherman, Jake Sherman and Skylar Sherman, and great-grandson Logan Miller. Jim will also be remembered by his special friend, Nancy Baker. Please join us for a celebration of life honoring Jim. Open House, 1-3, Saturday April 16, at 4942 Westgate Rd, Minnetonka, 55345.