James Arthur Sherlock

James A. Sherlock died at 5:28 p.m. on Thursday (October 17, 2013), at Carle Hospital in Urbana, Illinois. James was born on June 28, 1924 in Lakewood, Ohio to Guy L. Sherlock and Stella G. Aultman Sherlock. He married Noreen Joan Laurenzi in The Bronx, New York in September, 1958. He is survived by one son, Thomas, his daughter-in-law Katy Sherlock and three grandchildren, Wyatt, Lucy and Kathleen Sherlock of Urbana, Illinois. Preceding him in death are his wife, Noreen, his parents and one sister, Mary Sherlock. James graduated from Clark High School in Clark, Ohio in 1942. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the College of Arts and Sciences at The Ohio State University in 1948 where he was a member of the Gamma chapter of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. Prior to this he served in the United States Army during World War II, working on early computer systems. He received his Masters degree from The City College of New York in 1961 after corresponding with dozens of famous authors for his research into how their high school English education influenced their subsequent careers as writers. After college he worked as a journalist for the Repository newspaper in Canton, Ohio and then worked as a writer for the Dumont and ABC television networks, as well as the State of Michigan in the mid- 1950s. Upon returning to New York in 1956, he met his future wife, Noreen, and they were married in 1958. Following graduate school and the birth of their only child Tom, he served as the Vice President of Universal Public Relations in New York where he remained for most of the 1960s. Noreen died an untimely death in 1966 and James returned to Ohio in 1968 to care for his ailing mother, Stella. There he began a long career as a teacher of English both at the high school and college level, both domestically and abroad. James was a world traveler and visited many countries in Europe, Asia and the Far East. He was also a lifelong lover of theatre, ballet, poetry, and classical music. But most of all, James loved spending time with his grandchildren. Those who knew James will fondly remember him as being literate and very well read. He encouraged reading and loved to read to others. Visitation will be held on Sunday, October 20, 2013 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Sunset Funeral Home and Cremation Center Champaign-Urbana Chapel, 710 N. Neil St. Champaign. A Celebration of Life will follow the visitation. Please join James family in sharing memories, photos, and video of his life through his Tribute Wall at www.sunsetfuneralhome.com.