Douglas Edward Sherrill

1956 - 2021

Douglas Edward Sherrill
1956-2021
1/1/1956 to 10/13/2021
Doug was the sixth born to Gwendolyn Pickard Sherrill and Douglas Beaumont Sherill immediately followed by Allen Richard Sherrill, his fraternal twin brother. Doug faced many challenges in his life, beginning at age two with a brain infection. He spent two weeks in a coma, not expected to survive at Texas Children's Hospital. When he did survive, the family was told to expect very little recovery of normal function. With Allen's help, he re-learned crawling (at first backwards) and then walking and talking. The challenges continued with a divorce between his parents, which is hard, especially on a four-year-old. His father (affectionately known as Biggy) had custody and Dottie Sue became stepmother when the boys were six, which was a challenge.
These days he would have been considered on the spectrum. He was sent to the Institute of Logopedics in Kansas at age nine. It is a school for children with any type of disability or emotional problem with an emphasis on autism. He was home for holidays and then permanently by age 12. He went on to graduate from Pasadena High School with his brother Allen in 1975. He also took some courses at San Jacinto Jr. College. Someone had given him an old bicycle that he fixed up and rode everywhere. One Christmas, the siblings got together and got him a "good" bike and the passion for biking really took off. He attended bike meets whenever he could and was an early participant in the MS 150. But he needed to drive to get to those events and fortunately, an angel named Jovita Bray had the patience to teach him how to drive. He worked for Jamie and Jovita Bray at Ascot Alarms, then Burleson Florist until his "retirement". He loved tubing in the hill country and camping. He loved Galveston Island. His smile lit up the room.
Douglas lived with his dad and Dottie Sue until their deaths, then moved to his own little house, near his sister Betsy. He was very proud of his home, over-run with plants and his many collections. Recent knee problems kept him off of his bike and he balked at seeing a doctor after developing a severe throat infection. He went to his sister Betsy and she got him to an urgent care facility. His blood pressure was so heightened that they wheeled him to an ER. Sadly, the infection had spread and won out in the end. He is preceded in death by his mother, father, step-mother and brother Douglas Pickard Sherrill, his great niece, Suzannah Elizabeth York, and grandparents. He is survived by the following: his brother Allen and nephew Zachary Sherrill, his sister Holly and spouse John Tenini and children, Heather Ashly and Tricia along with his sister Judy, her spouse Phil Peters, and their children, Charles and Annie; his sister Betsy Gallner, nieces Emily and Hilary York and nephew John Gallner plus several great nieces and nephews.
Funeral services: St. Stephen Presbyterian Church, South Houston; Saturday October 23, 2021, 2:00 PM
Internment: Brookside Memorial Park
Contributions to Multiple Sclerosis in Dougs name would be appreciated.