Homewood woman to mark 100th birthday
Church she attends to celebrate 175 years
The day Homewood resident JeanSherrillwasborn, WorldWar I had just ended, women couldn’t vote, therewere only 48 states, air travel was in its infancy and mail-order giant Montgomery Ward’s 12-story tower was the tallest building in Chicago.
Things are a bit different as Sherrill prepares to celebrate her 100th birthdayNov. 29.
Yet when asked about the most notable thing she’s seen during nearly a century on earth, she focused on the here and now.
“The way the (2018 national midterm) election came out, with all the women and ethnic groups winning,” she said.
Raised a Republican, Sherrill said she became a Democrat pretty quickly afterWorldWar II, though it wasn’t a viewpoint shared by her family.
“I know my father wasn’t fond of Roosevelt,” she said. “I think (Barack) Obama is my favorite. I admire him forwhat he stands for, what he’s done in spite of the fact he’s African-American. He’s just somebody that I’m very proud to have been alive during the time
that he was president – whenthingswere changing, and he was sort of the symbol, I think, of our steps forward.”
That response probably wouldn’t surprise Pamela Sigler who, like Sherrill, is a member of First Presbyterian Church of Chicago Heights.
The church, which will celebrate its 175th anniversary just a few days after Sherrill turns 100, was founded in 1843 as Reformed Presbyterian Church of Thorn Grove well before the surrounding area became Chicago Heights.
Sigler said the church welcomed Polish and Italian immigrants to the city in the early 1900s.
It also worked with a defunct Presbyterian congregation to establish the Harold Colbert Jones Memorial Community Center, said Sigler, who is president of the board. The Jones Center, as it’s informally known, is now independently operated, she added.
First Presbyterian’s welcoming approach has continued, with recent immigrants from the west African nation of Cameroon recently adding “a vibrancy and diversity to our congregation,” Sigler said.
Though Sherrill traces her family back to Scotland, she came to the Southland from central Pennsylvania, where she “grew up in a Presbyterian family from the ground up. My faith is very much a part of my life and has been since I was a tiny child. It’s hard to put intowords.”
The former Jean Sommerville met Joseph C. Sherrill, at Pennsylvania State University. They married in 1942 — after he converted.
“He became a more committed Presbyterian than I ever was,” she said, downplaying her own activities, which included serving on the First Presbyterian Church board.
The couple settled in Park Forest in 1957 and joined First Presbyterian Church. The current church structure at 1900 Thomas St. was built in 1964-65 after the congregation outgrewthe structure it built in 1913 at 16th Place and School Street.
The Sherrill family grew as well, adding children Harry, then Anne, followed by Rob. They moved to a larger home in Homewood where Harry now cares for his mother. He has built attractive wall shelves that she has filled with books and hundreds of Sports Illustrated issues. Joseph and Jean passed their love of Penn State football on to their children.
Before Joseph Sherrill died in 1998, his activities included serving as an elder with the First Presbyterian Church and involvement in the Chicago Presbytery.
“He was very active and highly recognized,” she said.
Though she also long has been active in her church, Sherrill didn’t necessarily link her faith to her longevity.
“I don’t think that being a Presbyterian for 100 years is something thatwould make me live longer,” she said. “Don’t say it’s clean living,” she added, noting she’s outlived three older siblings. “Just say I’m lucky.”
Even as it prepares for its own anniversary celebration, Sherrill’s church is celebrating her. First Presbyterian Church will honor Jean Sherrill’s 100th birthday from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday with a Thanksgiving dinner.
The congregation will mark the church’s 175th anniversary from4 to 7 p.m. Dec. 1 with a Christmas OpenHouse and Christmas Carol Sing and a 10:30 a.m. Dec. 2 worship service followed by lunch. The Rev. Greg Boettner will preside over the worship service, and theRev. Jeff Geary, who grew up in the church will return to deliver the sermon.