Sherman A. "Sherm" Lovering

Sherman Arthur Lovering 99, of Keene, NH and previously of Marlborough and Swanzey, NH, and Eastham, MA and Beverly Hills, FL, passed away in his sleep on Sunday, October 6, 2024. Born in Manchester, NH on July 9, 1925, to Arthur E. and Alice (Manning) Lovering, Sherman opened his eyes to a world unknown, soon to be lived with the best of spirit and right intention. Sherm attended Wilson Grammar School and Central HS in Manchester. In 1943, he left HS at age 17 to enlist in the Army Air Corp and served in WWII flying in B-25's while stationed in New Guinea, Philippines, Borneo and Indonesia. After the War, he completed his final year of HS and then attended Keene State Teacher's College, now Keene State College (KSC), graduating in 1949, earning his BA Degree in Education. In 1950, he married Marjorie E. Hunter, his lifelong love and faithful partner for 74 years. In 1966, while raising four children, he attended Boston University receiving his Master in Education. In 1985, after retiring from KSC, he enrolled at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN for his PhD. At age 98, Sherm relocated to Keene to be closer to family and he returned to KSC to take classes designed for seniors. With a strong work ethic, a caring personality, and an endless supply of energy, enthusiasm and determination he made the most of every opportunity to learn and use his knowledge for the good of all. His accomplishments were many. Sherm worked with the NH State Department of Education and published "We Must Deliver", a document that was ground breaking work in the area of providing education to all children regardless of intellectual disabilities which was a significant educational milestone in NH at the time. He was the first Director of Special Education for the state of NH and traveled throughout the state to approve new programs being put into place. He taught at KSC for 32 years and in addition to creating the Special Education Department, he was responsible for initiating the start of several other departments at the collage and within the community including the Audio Visual Department, psychology courses for the nursing program, creating the college's Testing Center and providing psychological testing services for the Keene Police Department. The energy and support he so willingly gave to his community and state will long be remembered. In his time away from work he was involved with family, an active member of the Federated Church of Marlborough, a Cub Scout Leader, baseball coach, an avid gardener, raised canaries, and annually harvested a small maple sugar grove. He also entered into two small business endeavors with colleagues from KSC, running three apartment buildings providing rentals for college students and was a major share-holding member of a wood lot that supplied firewood for ten families and stories galore for the ten men who worked the lot on Sunday afternoons. They came to be known as "The Sunday Bunch". Sherm loved people. He was a life time member of the ELKS. He was a man who thrived on service to community and country. It was his natural inclination to do something positive and productive every day. Sherm's retirement years were as productive as his career years. He volunteered for seventeen years in the Coast Guard Auxiliary and was a recruiter of HS graduates throughout New England. He worked for the AIM program helping hundreds of young men and women get into the academy. He went to work part time on the Cape at the Ocean Edge Conference Center where he assisted with equipment set up for conferences. The volunteer work he did for 20 years at the Cape Cod National Seashore and his work supporting the Nauset Light Preservation Society was something he was passionate about and took a great deal of pride and pleasure in. He was still giving tours at age 97. He loved to share history and knowledge in general, always going out of his way to help in whatever way was needed to enrich the lives of others. Throughout his retirement, he enjoyed winters in Beverly Hills, Florida. During this time he volunteered at the Veteran's Hospital and much to his delight, drove a neighborhood security cruiser for the Citrus County Sheriff's Office for twenty years. His energy was endless and his even and caring disposition endeared him to all. Sherm is survived by his wife Marjorie; his sons, James A. Lovering and his wife, Nancy and Jeffery Hunter Lovering; his daughter, Katherine L. Shanks, and her husband, William; 13 grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews. His son, Stephen S. Lovering predeceased him He will be laid to rest alongside family in the Pine Grove Cemetery in Manchester, NH. A committal service will be held for family and friends at the cemetery on Friday, October 18, 2024, at 11:00 am. The procession will begin at 10:45 a.m. at the entrance located right across from 481 Calef Road in Manchester. A Celebration of Life is planned for 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, October 19, 2024, at the Keene State College Camp located at 19 Page Ct. Keene, NH, for all friends and family who wish to attend. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Sherm's favorite charity, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude’s Place, Memphis, TN 38105.