Frank W. Sherman, 86, died on Monday, October 4, 2010, at Caleb
Hitchcock Health Center in Bloomfield, Connecticut, after suffering a
severe stroke.
Frank was born in 1924 in Owen, Wisconsin, the son of Francis and Hilda
Sherman. His father was an Episcopalian minister who was assigned to
several different churches and Indian reservations across the West and
Midwest during Frank's childhood. Frank graduated from Duluth Central
High School in Duluth, Minnesota. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps in
1942 and was stationed in England, serving as a navigator on a B-17
"Flying Fortress" bomber. After the war, Frank attended Trinity College
in Hartford, Connecticut, graduating in 1950.
Frank married Marjorie (Marge) Mering of Kansas City, Missouri, in 1950.
The family lived in Iowa, South Dakota and Missouri in the 1950s while
Frank built a career in the marketing division of Union Carbide. Frank
and Marge transplanted the family to Old Greenwich, Connecticut, in 1960
when Frank moved to the International Marketing division in New York
City. Frank rose to the position of director of International Marketing
for Consumer Products at Union Carbide and traveled all over the world
before retiring in 1979. He had a second career at his alma mater,
Trinity College, as the director of Alumni Giving, where he dramatically
increased the level of contributions.
A devoted family man, Frank was also an active volunteer and leader in
school, church and community organizations throughout his life. In Old
Greenwich, he and Marge were leaders in the high school PTA. Frank was
the scoutmaster of the local Boy Scout troop for several years and a
leader at St. Saviour's and Christ Church and served on the boards of
local clubs and nonprofits. Frank was an active Trinity alumnus for
decades, fund raising and organizing many reunions of classmates and
football teammates.
Marge and Frank retired to Waitsfield, Vermont, in 1986 and continued
their community involvement. Frank served on the local school board and
helped to found St. Dunstan's Episcopal Church and the Green Mountain
Cultural Center, an arts organization. The Shermans relocated to New
London, New Hampshire, in 2000, where Frank served on the Bandstand
Committee for the town of New London and was also a member of the board
of his residence association. After his wife's death in 2007, Frank
moved to Duncaster in Bloomfield, Connecticut. Once settled, he became
involved in planning and fund raising for a new dining facility. Frank
remained very active in his retirement; he enjoyed traveling, tennis,
cycling and skiing.
Frank is survived by his two sisters, Marian LeGrand of Sioux City,
Iowa, and Betty Cedergren of Lindstrom, Minnesota; two daughters, Cathy
Jane Sherman of York, Pennsylvania, and Margaret Jean Sherman of Old
Greenwich, Connecticut; and two sons, James Andrew Sherman of Andover,
Massachusetts, and Thomas William Sherman of Chicago, Illinois; three
granddaughters, four grandsons and several nieces and nephews.
A service in celebration of his life will be held at St. John's
Episcopal Church at 679 Farmington Avenue, West Hartford, CT, on October
16, 2010, at 2 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that
donations be made to the American Heart Association, P.O. Box 417005,
Boston, MA 02241-7005, or www.heart.org.
