Jack Sherman

Jack Sherman, 81, of Grinnell, died on Saturday, January 24, 2026 at his home with his family by his side and under the care of Suncrest Hospice.

A memorial visitation will be held from 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM on Sunday, February 22, 2026 at the Smith Funeral Home in Grinnell. A celebration of life will be held from 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM on Sunday, February 22, 2026 at Prairie Canary in downtown Grinnell.

Memorials may be designated to Suncrest Hospice or to the Grinnell Tiger Booster Club and mailed in care of the Smith Funeral Home and Crematory, PO Box 368, Grinnell, IA 50112. Memories and condolences may be shared with Jack's family online at www.smithfh.com.

LaForest and Mary Sherman welcomed their second son Jack into the world on September 10th, 1944 while stationed in Myrtle Beach, S.C. with the Army Air Corps. Jack was honored to be named after his uncle, Jack Pilgrim who was killed in New York harbor while serving in the Navy during World War II, just two months before his birth. After the war, the Sherman's returned to Grinnell, IA to join the family farming enterprise. The family grew and consisted of four children, LaForest III (John) (Winnie), Jack (Cynthia), Mary Pat (Beloved Tom), and Raymond (Sheryl). Jack enjoyed farm life made up of the "normal" experiences of a childhood in the 1940's and 50's including chores and 4-H.

Jack attended the Grinnell Schools excelling in sports and having a good time! Jack's outgoing personality meant he always had friends and social things to do. Jack played football, basketball, and ran track graduating in the GHS Class of 1962. His love of sports continued as he was a walk-on football player his freshman year at Iowa State. His football career flourished after he transferred to Simpson spending his remaining college days there, graduating with a degree in Mathematics in 1966.

Jack found work in the insurance industry in Des Moines after graduation. He fortuitously met a lovely girl, Cynthia Welcher in an elevator. She was a small-town Iowa girl working for Governor Bob Ray and they instantly hit it off. After a whirlwind romance they married on December 22nd, 1968 in a raging snow storm ultimately stranding them in a roadside hotel as Jack barely survived the Hong Kong Flu rather than enjoying his honeymoon in Las Vegas as planned. Despite the rough beginning, Jack and Cynthia's 57-year marriage had begun.

A marriage that in the early years was marked by movement. First buying and running Peggy's Bar near the Drake campus followed by short stays in Lake Tahoe, California and Phoenix, Arizona while Jack worked in Real Estate. When Jack's father was looking to begin to phase out of the farming operations Jack and Cynthia loaded up the U-Haul with all of their belongings and their two children, Stephen and Kalyn, and headed back home to Grinnell where they remained the rest of their lives.

Once settled into farm life they welcomed their third child, Drew. Farm life was never fully enough for the Sherman's as they lived an entrepreneurial life operating several businesses in Grinnell over the years. Village Decorating and Bates Flowers by D'Zyne among them. Jack also loved Grinnell and his community of great friends enjoying Lions Club, golf, playing Pitch, and Saturday Morning Coffee with his friends. Jack continued farming for many years but found a knack for building things and traveled all over Minnesota and Iowa building outdoor stadium seating and then for many years indoor telescopic bleachers for the Interkal Corporation. Through all of these endeavors Jack's love of his family was known to prompt him to drive thousands of miles to watch a track meet or a football game as his children performed and excelled in whatever they did.

In retirement, entrepreneurialism continued even after the previously mentioned stores had been sold to new owners. Jack built out many downtown Grinnell buildings that were once empty and derelict with new beautiful lofts available at PrairieLoftsGrinnell.net to this day. His love of family only continued to grow as his children added eleven grandchildren and many more sporting and musical events for him to attend. He wouldn't have it any other way. His grandchildren are as follows:

Children of Steve (Amy) Sherman - Mollie, Cole, Brock, and Sariah. Children of Kalyn (Paul) Durr – Malia, Sienna, and Matayas. Children of Drew (Melinda) Sherman – Thea, Maryn, Graham, and Emmett.

In the last year, that love of family only grew as Jack and his entire family welcomed a previously unknown son, Dan Hayward to the family. Dan and his wife Julie discovered Jack to be his father by using Ancestry.com and some good old-fashioned sleuthing. They have only added to the richness of the family. Dan (Julie) added two more grandchildren to the fold with Elsa and Liam bringing the total to thirteen – at least for now!

He had a passion for history and in an epic solo trip traced the Lewis and Clark Expedition all the way to the ocean. That trip and many others produced hundreds of breathtaking photographs as his love of photography followed him his entire life.

In Jack's last years he fought a good fight against a Parkinson's diagnosis with his quiet strength, almost never complaining, but ultimately that terrible disease brought his life on earth to a close on January 24th, 2026. Jack enjoyed 81 good years full of family and many close friends in Grinnell and around the world.

He lived his life without holding grudges, and it was important to Jack that people thought he "was a pretty nice guy".