Sherwood Davies

Delmar - Sherwood Davies, WW II veteran, lifetime activist, card-player, and devoted father/grandfather with a sharp sense of humor and dress, died Tuesday, June 19th, 2018 at the age of 100.  As a Centenarian, Sherwood leaves behind an impressive legacy, countless fond memories, and stories that will continued to be shared (most of which we think are true, though he did have a knack for being a jokester).

Sherwood was born in Syracuse, NY on October 20, 1917, the son of the late Grace Stowell Griffiths and Howard Henry Davies.  He did not miss a chance to remind his grandchildren of facts like Wilson was president the year he was born, school busses used chains so kids didn’t have “snow days”, and that he had perfect attendance throughout all his schooling.  Sherwood received a Civil Engineering degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in 1940 and Master’s of Public Health degree from the University of Minnesota in 1958.  He was a Licensed Professional Engineer and authored numerous papers relating to the public health aspects of environmental engineering and radiation protection.

In WW II, Sherwood served in the European Theater (1944-1947) as the Chief Sanitary Corps Officer in the 3rd and 12th Replacement Depots. In 1946, he served as the Sanitary Engineering Consultant at the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Forces (SHAEF) located in Frankfort, Germany.  He was honorably discharged as a Major in the Sanitary Corps.  In 2014, Sherwood had the opportunity to travel with Patriot Flight to Washington DC for a ceremony that honored WW II veterans.

Sherwood was employed by the NY State Department of Health and was appointed the Director of the Bureau of Radiological Health.  In this capacity, he oversaw the administration of the radiation surveillance program and the inspection/ licensure of radioactive materials and x-ray sources.  Following retirement in 1980, despite a fairly regular travel schedule to Florida and many cruises, Sherwood remained active in the Retired Public Employees Association as chairperson. His advocacy for an increase to employee pensions did result in the legislature passing a bill to provide automatic small pension increases for retirees. 

Sherwood remained active even into his later years.  Both the RPI 50 Year Club and Retired Public Employees Association benefited from his service as the President of the Board of Directors. Even when he moved into a retirement community, he served as President of the Residents’ Association.  In 2017, he was awarded a Senior Lifetime Achievement Award for his service. Sherwood was an active member of Project Clearwater, “21 Club”, American Legion, and the Mayflower Society.  He was interviewed and in the PBS Documentary “The Forgotten Plague” (2015) regarding his family history of tuberculosis and life growing up at a Sanitorium in Lake Kushaqua, NY. 

Sherwood’s personal passions included discussing politics in whatever company, developing trivia questions for gatherings, genealogy (he was a proud descendant of William Bradford), being with his grandchildren, using the computer and being right (though most the time, and with most subjects, he was).  Even into his 90s, he was still emailing family and friends and passionately advocating for change.  His most recent fight was regarding Time Warner/Spectrum rate increase.  He encouraged others to also write letters and call local politicians instead of just complaining. 

Sherwood was predeceased by Marjorie Blauvelt with whom he shared 59 years of marriage.  Sherwood leaves behind many memories with his family members. Sherwood’s Children: Howard Ross Davies (Marlene) of Liberty, KY; Deborah Davies Gordon of Guilderland, NY; and Robert Leslie Davies (Elizabeth) of Westhampton, NJ.  He was the loving grandfather of Jessica (Michael) Sheehan; Carolyn Gordon; Allison Davies; and Brian Davies. He is survived by his great grandson and namesake, Sherwood Gordon Sheehan.  

A celebration of Sherwood’s life will be Saturday, June 30, 2018 with visiting hours 10-11 am, followed by a service at 11 am at Bryce Funeral Home, Inc.  276 Pawling Avenue, Troy, NY with Rev. Karyl Hopp, officiating. Private burial will be in Constable, NY. 

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Teresian House Foundation, 200 Washington Avenue Extension, Albany, NY 12203 or The Community Hospice (Gift Processing Center) 310 S. Manning Blvd. Albany, NY 12208 The family thanks Teresian House and Community Hospice for providing extraordinary care of Sherwood in his final stage of life. 

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