Sarah Sherman

The life of Sarah Sherman is a lesson in what love really means as she lived her life to nurture and care for others out of a heart that knew no bounds. Together with the love of her life, Sarah nurtured the children she treasured more than life itself and when her family grew to include grandchildren, she couldn’t have been happier. Although life was not without great hardship for Sarah, she carried herself with a graceful strength that is to be admired. With a life that spanned nearly a century, she created a timeless legacy that will live on in the hearts and lives of those she leaves behind.

If one could turn back the pages in time, life during the year 1917 would be very different than the life we know in America today. The First World War had been raging overseas since 1914 and although our army was small, nearly three million men were drafted after the passing of the Selective Service Act in May of that same year. By summertime the following year, we were sending 10,000 fresh troops to France each day. It was during this time of great trial in America that there was much to celebrate in one young family from Northern Michigan since they welcomed a baby girl into their hearts and home on August 25, 1917. Sarah was ushered into the arms of her parents, Francis and Nola (Tanner) Hahn, and was the sixth of seven children including her older siblings, Delbert, Celia, Floyd, Pearl and Basil, and her younger siblings Bonnie and Francis. Her father worked as a lumberjack and later a farmer while her mother had more than enough to keep her busy at home. Not long after Sarah was born, the Hahn family moved to Lawrence where her father worked as a farmhand. She attended Lawrence schools, but only through the eighth grade as was common during this generation.

New and exciting changes were in store for Sarah after her family moved to Kalamazoo in the winter of 1935. She and her sister Bonnie went to a square dance and it was there that she saw a young man whom she couldn’t take her eyes off of. His name was Lawrence Sherman and he was the guitarist. Love was certainly in the air that evening as Sarah’s sister also found the man she one day married. A romance blossomed from that fateful evening and not long after, Sarah became Mrs. Lawrence Sherman in her family home in Kalamazoo with her parents as witnesses. They exchanged their vows on March 2, 1936, beginning a new chapter in a love story that would span nearly 60 years.

Together Sarah and Lawrence were blessed with six children: Shirley, Nancy, Larry, Dan, Tom, and Randy. She fully immersed herself in caring for their children for the next several years. Sarah and Lawrence both worked at the paper mill in Kalamazoo, and she later worked as a cook at Pipp Hospital in Plainwell. The family enjoyed spending time together and also with their beloved German shepherd, Pat. As a mother Sarah was fiercely protective of her children and although she was small in stature, she would take on the world if need be.

After Sarah retired in 1977 and Lawrence retired in 1978, they enjoyed their time off to the fullest. They traveled all over Northern Michigan camping in their 5th wheel. Sarah loved playing card games like Skip-Bo and You Blew It, and she loved watching westerns on television such as Gunsmoke and Bonanza. When they went to the movies, Sarah liked seeing a lighthearted comedy. She delighted in her role as a grandmother and loved times when the whole family would gather together. Sarah always busied herself making sugar cookies and candy for the holidays, and she loved to make Christmas presents for her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. One year she made each of them toy boxes and another year it was quilts.

There was so much to love about Sarah. Although she was a little lady, she wasn’t one to be intimidated and never shied away from telling you like it was – even if it hit you right between the eyes. Sarah was outgoing and friendly and when combined with her talkative nature, she could talk to anyone about anything. She loved to joke around, too, and enjoyed having a good hearty laugh.

Trying days were in store for Sarah with the death of her two daughters, Shirley and Nancy. She was given another tough pill to swallow with the death of her beloved Lawrence on Valentine’s Day in 1994. Sarah continued on, however, finding joy wherever she could.

With her fun-loving personality and her endless heart, Sarah Sherman greatly enriched the lives of so many others. It was common knowledge that the day she married her best friend was the greatest day of her life, and that nothing was better than the family they shared together. Sarah loved being a mother, but would perhaps argue that becoming a grandmother, great-grandmother, and great-great-grandmother is a mother’s sweetest reward. She will be deeply missed while her memory is forever cherished.

Sarah Sherman of Plainwell died March 30, 2011 at the Life Care Center. Sarah’s family includes her children: Larry (Suzanne), Dan (Dorothy), Tom (Dianna) and Randy as well as thirteen grandchildren, several great-grandchildren and several great-great- grandchildren. Sarah was preceded in death by her husband, Lawrence; two daughters, Shirley and Nancy; and her brothers and sisters. A funeral service will be held on Saturday at 11:00 at the Life Story Funeral Home, Plainwell; 120 Woodhams St. (344-5600). Please visit Sarah’s memory page at www.lifestorynet.com where you can archive a memory or photo, sign her memory book online before coming to funeral home, or make a memorial donation to The American Cancer Society or The American Stroke Association.