William "Bill" Sherman

With his family gathered around him at his longtime home in Shoreline, Washington, William “Bill” Fredrick Sherman passed peacefully into heaven on May 28, 2026, at the age of 98.

Bill was born at home in Ballard, Washington on March 3, 1928 to Fredrick “Fred” and Florence Sherman. His only sibling was his brother Richard who was nine years younger. Bill grew up in Seattle’s Greenlake neighborhood where he had a newspaper stand during the war years. He also worked at Boeing “bucking rivets in B-17s,” as he described it. He attended John Marshall Elementary School and graduated from Roosevelt High School. His father was a brickmason and Bill worked alongside him, learning the trade at an early age. In the late fifties, Bill took the first computer programming class offered in the Seattle area which led to a career as the data processing manager for Tradewell Stores.

Raised in a Christian home, Bill embraced a personal faith in God at an early age and remained devoted to the Lord throughout his life. He raised his family in that same faith, attending Westgate Chapel in Edmonds from its opening in 1959. Bill served in the Royal Rangers program and participated in other ministry opportunities over the years. His deep trust in God was evident in his prayers, his conversations, and the encouragement he offered to family and friends. He often spoke of God's faithfulness and reminded those around him to place every concern "in God's hands."

A chance meeting at the Arabian Theater on Aurora Avenue with a young lady by the name of Shirley Rossman led to an elopement just two years later. They were happily married for 55 years.

Shirley’s parents had a cabin on Lummi Island north of Bellingham and they enjoyed many days there in the early part of their marriage. Years later they bought their own property on Lummi Bay and weekends were often spent camping at the beach property. Later they had the shell of a cabin built and over the next few years, Bill, his sons and other family and friends completed the cabin.

Other summer pursuits usually involved a variety of outdoor adventures, always with family, including camping, fishing and backpacking in the Cascade Mountains, as well as many long car trips exploring the Western US.

In the mid-seventies, they bought a timeshare on the island of Kauai and began to visit the Hawaiian islands frequently. They semi-retired there in 1987, although it was not a normal retirement, as they had bought a donut shop on Kauai which the family owned and operated until 1990. After that, they divided their time between Kauai and the Pacific Northwest.

Sadly, Shirley passed away in 2004 after a brave battle with cancer. Bill joined a grief support group at Westgate Chapel where he met Janice Putnam who had also recently lost her spouse. They began dating and were married on Kauai in 2005. Bill said that “she gave me a new lease on life.” Bill and Janice also split their time between the Pacific Northwest and Kauai where they made many friends. Their marriage was marked by 20 years of love, faith, and devotion.

Bill was bitten by the travel bug early in life as his father had been a merchant marine and told many stories of his time in the South Pacific. Bill made multiple trips to the South Pacific with both Shirley and Janice. They visited places such as Micronesia, the Cook Islands and Samoa, as well as New Zealand and Australia, making many friends along the way. They preferred the less traveled, more remote islands. In later years, he and Janice enjoyed taking many cruises, his favorite being the one through the Panama Canal.

An avid Seattle sports fan, Bill enjoyed watching the Sonics, Mariners and Seahawks. He was a charter season ticket holder of the Seahawks and had season tickets for their first twenty-five years.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents; his brother, Richard; his first wife, Shirley; his sons-in-law, Bill White and Marty Clare; and his great-grandson, Rory Ober. He is survived by his wife, Janice; his children, Leanne Clare, Gayle White, Darryll (Lily) Sherman, Keith Sherman; and his beloved grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Bill will be greatly missed, but we know he’s in a better place with our Lord and that we will see him again.

A celebration of life service will be held this Friday, June 12, at 2:00pm, at Beck’s Funeral Home in Edmonds, Washington.