Sherman Richard Batman

SHERMAN RICHARD BATMAN was born February 7, 1931, in the small coal mining community of Winifrede, W.Va. He was preceded in death by his parents William Richard Batman and Mary Ellen Lawrance Batman and his sister, Betty Louise "Wicky" Williams.
He is survived by his wife, Catherine Louise Hardy Batman, (his "child-bride") of almost 40 years; , two children, six grandchildren, two step-grandchildren, six great-grandchildren, and seven step-great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his much-loved nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a grandchild; Richard Bovay, and a daughter, Marsha Aline Batman (aka Elizabeth Anne Tocarciuc).
From an early age, Sherman wanted to be a pilot and joined the Army at age 15 as World War II was concluding, which makes Sherman a WWII vet. Sherman's military career spanned not only WWII, but also the Korean and Vietnam Wars. During his career, Sherman served as an infantry soldier, paratrooper, Ranger and Special Forces Green Beret. He rose to the rank of Master Sergeant and was highly decorated for outstanding valor in combat and other meritorious medals for marksmanship and service to international governments, including the Army's third-highest decoration for valor in combat, the Silver Star. In 2004, Sherman's Special Forces unit, MACvSOG, was publicly recognized and decorated after being classified and not formally acknowledged by the US government. Sherman's bravery is cited in several books written by various authors about the Vietnam War, although if asked, Sherman will say "I was just doing my job."
Sherman retired from the US Army in 1972 and then joined the Kanawha County (WV) Sheriff's Department as a Deputy Sheriff. While working as a Deputy Sheriff, Sherman attended night classes at West Virginia Institute in Dunbar, W.Va., and earned his Bachelor of Science and master's degrees in criminal justice, as well as working private security on a part-time basis. He went on to serve as a police officer for the Miami-Dade Police Department in Florida and then finished his law enforcement career in South Carolina as a police officer for the North Charleston Police Department and the newly formed Charleston County Aviation Authority (SC). Sherman retired from public service in 1993 to return to his home state of WV. Sherman continued in public service, however, by serving as a Magistrate Judge in Petersburg, W.Va. Sherman's childhood dream was to become a military pilot and even though his military career took a different course, Sherman did experience the joy of flying by getting his private pilot's license. One of the planes he owned was his beloved Cessna Skymaster 337, which fittingly enough, was also the same type of aircraft the military used in the Vietnam War. Throughout his lifetime, Sherman was an avid reader, and he owned a large collection of books on military history and strategy. He became especially knowledgeable about the Civil War and the Roman Empire and had an impressive collection of Civil War art featuring prominent Civil War generals. Sherman's other interests during his lifetime were guns, Lincolns and dogs. He loved many dogs during his lifetime. His black and tan coondog Lydia, was his canine companion to the very end. Sherman Batman was truly a distinguished West Virginia patriot, or as printed on his business card, "casual hero," and "world traveler."
Sherman was a member of several veterans and professional organizations: Disabled Veterans, Special Forces Association, Military Order of the Purple Hearts, Army Historical Foundation, Association of the United States Army, 82nd Airborne Division Association, Special Operations Association, Charter Founding member of RAKKASANS (187th Airborne Infantry Regiment), Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #6454 (Petersburg, W.Va.), and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Officers' Association.
Sherman's family wishes to express their love and appreciation to Sherman's family friend Devon Jordan, who was also Sherman's long-time caregiver, and to family friend Ed Beatty and his family for being available to help when needed.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Animal Friends of Barbour County, P.O. Box 452, Philippi WV 26416. Honoring Sherman's request, cremation will take place. A Memorial Service with Military Rites will be at a later date. Condolences can be made to the family at www.talbottfuneralhome.com The Talbott Funeral Home in Belington is in charge of the arrangements for Mr. Sherman Richard Batman.