Sherman Charles "Ted" Donley

Sherman Charles "Ted" Donley was a modest man, quiet and observant in his ways. He was trustworthy and traditional in his approach to his life and in his relationships. He was tough-minded with the kind of “stick to it” attitude that earned the respect of all who knew him. He was also a man who was meticulous, carefully disciplined, and orderly in virtually everything he undertook. Realistic about life, he was always at the ready, prepared to take on responsibility.

Sherman was born on January 30, 1928 at Reed City, Michigan at home. In Reed City, Michigan. His parents were Ray and Orpha Donley. Sherman was raised in Reed City and the Leroy area. He was brought up to be self-confident and dependable. These were traits that would serve him well throughout his life.

Growing up in the Donley household was a bit different than most homes. There were good times to be had, but just as often there was a fair share of challenges as well. However, Sherman was able to work through the usual family problems when they appeared, and he was the one person in the family who seemed able to keep the stress at bay. Sherman was raised with three siblings, one brother and two sisters. He had Ray, Jane and Muriel. The oldest to youngest were Muriel, Ray, Jane and Ted ( dad ). Sherman was constantly involved in activities with his brothers and sisters. Sherman and his siblings may have had the typical rivalries while growing up but Sherman was always consistently loyal to his family.

As a young child, Sherman was never someone who needed to be the center of attention. He wasn’t pushy and never forced his way into games or other activities. Sherman developed a variety of interests, though, and the things he enjoyed doing he did well. He was always curious about the world around him and was often eager to explore it. Sherman took part in baseball. In his spare time he liked sports in general especially baseball. He also loved reading western novels. His favorite author was Louie Lamour. Sherman's memorable achievements included helping his grandmother with gardening. However, what Sherman enjoyed most was simply playing and spending time with his many friends.

While his teachers and even his friends generally thought of Sherman as being a serious person, he managed to have a pretty good time in high school as he made that critical transition from adolescence to adulthood. He graduated from Reed City schools through eight grade. He enjoyed some courses more than others, having favorite classes and teachers. Sherman was a very logical person who enjoyed learning about factual information. Using his exceptional memory, he was able to learn much through observation. Sherman always seemed to have a command of the facts and was able to make it seem as though he could easily master any problem that might be presented to him.

Always considered to be a solid friend, Sherman was fortunate to have numerous acquaintances and several very close friends during his life. Since he disliked making generalizations about people and preferred to draw his own conclusions based on direct observation, Sherman was able to see beneath the surface of relationships and became a true friend to those who knew him. He was committed to his friends and valued the trust he placed in them. It was not uncommon for Sherman to go beyond the call of duty for others, and friends frequently sought him out for advice because he had a knack for coming up with practical solutions to any type of dilemma. While growing up, some of his best friends were Bob Carter. Later in life, he became friends with Bob Carter and Frank Schneider.

On July 28, 1950 Sherman exchanged wedding vows with Marjorie Louise Homrich at the Gold Avenue Chapel in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Compassionate and devoted to Marjorie, Sherman held endearing, traditional values about marriage and family life. He took the responsibility of marriage to heart, giving it his total commitment. He was a source of strength to Marjorie and using his gifts at nurturing one-on-one relationships, he worked hard to make his new family happy.

Sherman brought the same traditional values in his marriage to bear on how he raised his children. He was a good parent to them, always firm yet fair in his dealings. He would always listen carefully and think things through before he acted, even when it was an adverse situation. Sherman was also a walking schedule, always seeming to know what everyone in the family needed to do, where they needed to be and when they needed to be there. Sherman was blessed with Two, A son Ray and a daughter Patricia. They were also blessed with Seven, Amy Anderson, Lisa Donels, Heather Monroe and Carrie Vancrise,Naomi, Shari and Emily Gonser.

Sherman greatly enjoyed what he did for a living. He was a hard worker who expected the same in return from his co-workers. He was skilled at working effectively in small groups and in one-on-one situations as well as handling solo assignments efficiently. Sherman enjoyed dealing with concrete ideas and could penetrate any amount of fuzzy information to reach the essential facts. Always able to attend to the task at hand, Sherman was excellent at meeting deadlines. He was an efficient worker, one who paid careful attention to detail, allowing sufficient time to complete one task before moving on to the next. His primary occupation was a crane operator for General Motors. He was employed for thirty one years at General Motors. Sherman worked hard to be a team player, doing what was necessary in order to get the job done.

Sherman was an Army Air Corp Veteran. He was in the Army Air Corp in Japan from 1945-1949. Sherman saw action for the occupation of Japan. Through his hard work and dedication, he achieved the rank of Corporal. A literal thinker who possessed a calm exterior, Sherman seemed to enjoy the routines set forth by the military. His results-oriented approach to things made him committed to the job, and he understood well his role in serving his country.

Sherman liked to experience things first-hand as well as learn about them. This trait carried over into his hobbies, where he was very methodical in how he organized his activities and categorized things. Since he enjoyed his private time, Sherman always tried to allocate a specific time for working on his hobbies. His favorite pursuits were gardening and spending time with his family. Sherman was content to enjoy his hobbies alone but was also willing to share his interests with others.

Sherman found pleasure in sports. Being a person who was comfortable making win/lose decisions throughout life, he could appreciate that athletes made those types of decisions in sports. He applauded those who won, and he enjoyed the statistical data and sports facts and could find himself wrapped up in those details. In high school, Sherman played baseball as a teenager. He would watch his favorite sporting events whenever he got the opportunity. Tops on his list was the Detroit Tigers Baseball.

As a man who always showed great commitment to the things he believed in, it’s little wonder that Sherman was so active in his community. Being practical and mentally disciplined, Sherman preferred to base his decisions on first-hand experiences. Sherman was never afraid to roll up his sleeves and dig right in. Sherman was a member of several community groups, including serving on committees for the Moose Lodge and Union Steward. Politically, Sherman was a member of the Democratic Party.

Sherman enjoyed traveling and taking vacations. Since he was an early starter and had a knack for planning everything, traveling with Sherman appeared effortless. He enjoyed researching all of his examined options and applying cost-effective planning techniques. Plus, no matter where he traveled, Sherman always had a back up plan at the ready, just in case. Favorite vacations included Hawaii, Cancun and the cottage on Government Lake.

Sherman was a lover of animals and cherished his pets. His family was rounded out by his dogs Tipper and Pogo and cat named "Trouble".

When Sherman’s retirement finally arrived in 1982, he was well prepared. He always trusted and placed value in what was logical and in the things he knew, so he was very confident in planning his retirement. He had begun the process early and had his retirement all laid out well in advance. His new life involved relocating to Belmont, Michigan. In retirement, he found new pleasure in spending time with his grand children, working a short time at Amway and doing lawn maintenance for area cemeteries. Even in retirement, Sherman continued to stay in touch with his old friends while making plenty of new acquaintances. He was active in his new community and felt fulfilled.

Sherman Charles "Ted" Donley passed away on July 24, 2010 at home in Belmont, Michigan. He lost his battle with cancer but he fought hard to the end. He is survived by Wife, Marjorie, Son, Ray, Daughter, Patricia, Son-in-law, Mark, Daughter-in-law Elaine, seven granddaughters and six great-grandchildren. Services were held at Reyers North Valley Chapel. Sherman was laid to rest in Rosedale Memorial Gardens.

Commitment is a key word that can be used to describe the life of Sherman Charles "Ted" Donley. He was committed to living the life of a good man who was both practical and trustworthy. He was committed to the traditional values that he upheld his entire life. He committed himself to being a hard worker who expected the same effort in return from those around him. Most of all, he was committed to those he knew and loved.