George Sherman

1930 - 2020

George Sherman

George Bergland Sherman passed away on June 5, 2020; the first Sherman male in memory to reach his 90th birthday. Born on June 5th , 1930 in Holdridge Nebraska to Earl Sherman and Mae (Bergland), he was the third of four sons (James, Earl, and Jack). He lived on the family farm until 1939, leaving Nebraska

when his father's Ford dealership was lost during the Depression years. His family moved to Marshall Michigan, where he resided through High School. During his teen years in Marshall, he worked a paper route, participated in the Boy Scouts, sang in the Presbyterian church, fished and hunted the wild lands in Calhoun County, and made yearly hitch-hiking trips to Laramie Wyoming to put up hay on an Uncle's ranch. Upon graduating from High School, George attended Michigan State University, graduating with a BA in English. After graduation, he was drafted into the Korean war and proudly served his country in the Army for 2 years in Korea. Upon his discharge, he prospected Uranium with his brother Jack in what is now the Gila Wilderness area, and then began a career in teaching. He taught at the High School level in New Hampshire and Michigan, and eventually re-enrolled at MSU to further his education, receiving both an MA and PhD. This affiliation with MSU continued as he taught in their College of Education for over 30 years, ran their reading program, taught in-services in Japan, Germany and England, and published books on reading instruction. He was an energetic and popular professor at MSU and loved figuring out new methods to help kids learn to read.

In 1962, he married Charlotte Anne (Currie), and shared with her an adventurous and fulfilling, 58 years of marriage. They spent their early years together in married housing at MSU (with a stint owning and running a Boy's camp in Stevens Point, Wisconsin), and then moved to their primary residence in Lansing

where they lived for over 50 years. They raised 3 sons in Lansing (Tom, Andy and Bert), and on a sabbatical in 1973, spent a year living as a family in a small, 2 room cabin in Dubois, Wyoming. This introduction to the Dubois area and its residents led to yearly trips back, and an eventual purchase of some land on the Wind River. George built a cabin on this property with the help of his young sons (and some talented and generous neighbors), and it became an annual destination for the family. He and Char spent their summers in retirement at this cabin, hosting family and friends and hiking the surrounding mountains.

George had a huge sense of adventure and more interests than time to pursue them (restoring old shotguns, old British sports cars, golfing, bird hunting, reading, talking daily with his sons, having coffee with friends, and looking for amazing bargains at 2nd hand stores and garage sales). He was a proud father, a loving and supportive husband, a talented teacher, a wonderful friend and a reverent and patriotic American. He is survived by his sons Tom (Leah), Andy (Gina) and Bert (Theresa), 7 grandchildren, and his brother Jack. He is preceded in death by his wife, who passed away in April of 2020, and his parents and older brothers. Memorials may be made to the Ruffed Grouse Society or St.Thomas Episcopal Church in Dubois Wyoming.