John Douglas Sherrell

John Douglas Sherrell

John Douglas Sherrell, loving husband and father, passed away peacefully in his sleep on November 5th, 2024.

John was born in Springfield, Missouri to Doug and Sharon (Kennick) Sherrell.  When John was a toddler, his family relocated back to their native Illinois where John spent the remainder of his youth.  He played in youth sports, including baseball, soccer, football, and track.  John loved riding his motorcycle, Honda Odyssey, skateboard (on a homemade half pipe) and driving his cars in the demolition derby.  John also raised pigs, rabbits and a beehive and regularly entered his animals and honey in the State Fair.  He spoke fondly of fun activities which included snow skiing in the winters and water skiing in the summers.

In his twenties, John moved to San Diego, CA where he worked as a Master Auto Mechanic for several auto shops.  He was a very skilled mechanic and extremely knowledgeable in all things mechanical, including cars, trucks, tractors, lawnmowers, housing, computers, you name it- he could fix it.  John liked to play pool on weeknights and the weekends, eventually running his own team plus a weekly Sunday night tournament downtown for many years.  He loved surfing along the Southern California coast, especially at Sunset Cliffs, La Jolla Shores, and Trestles.  John owned several skateboards and could often be found skating to work, around town, or at the skate park.  OB, Barrio Logan, Encinitas, and Linda Vista were among his favorites.

In 2007, John met his wife, Emalie.  They married in 2008 and started a family.  They had two beautiful children, Lillian and Logan.  During this time, mechanic work was slow due to the Recession.  John decided to make a career change, and he joined the IBEW Local 569 Electrician Apprenticeship.  He attended work and night school for 5 years. He also served as the Student Council President.  Hard work paid off as he was awarded the Apprentice of the Year and Union Strong Awards at the graduation ceremony.

John was an avid journeyman electrician and inside wireman.  His career change led to 15 great years with the IBEW Union.  During his tenure, he was a jobsite foreman for several companies, worked in the office/field on solar projects, served on the Executive Board and was Union President in 2018.

In 2012, John and Emalie bought a house and spent many years fixing it up to be the perfect San Diego home to raise their family.

Over the next decade, John stayed busy with numerous activities.  He enjoyed civic duties and served as the Vice President for the Clairemont Town Council.  He was active with his daughter’s Girl Scout Troop and served in his son’s Cub Scout Pack as the Assistant Scout Master and eventually Scout Master.  He loved riding dirt bikes and taught his family to ride in the deserts of Ocotillo Wells and Superstition Mountain OHV areas.  John was always up for an adventure and became an enthusiastic camper in the local forests and mountains.  He looked forward to the annual family Memorial Day Camping trip in Barton Flats, plus many other amazing adventures to places such as Yosemite, Mammoth, Redwoods and San Clemente.  John also loved snowboarding on the slopes of Big Bear Mountain and would have gone every weekend if he could.

In 2021, John and Emalie decided to make a change and move closer to family in Shoreline, WA, a suburb of Seattle.  They bought a beautiful house shortly after the move and worked hard to fix it up.  It didn’t take long for John to establish himself in Shoreline.  He joined Union Local 46 Seattle and quickly made friends with his coworkers and neighbors.  He enjoyed fun activities with his family and friends, including hiking, riding dirt bikes, mountain biking, camping, Frisbee golf, exploring new museums, and all that Seattle and Washington had to offer.  John loved spending time with his brother in-law and sister in-law and their 3 children.  Weekend dinner nights together was something he always looked forward to. He also loved family board game nights, playing cards, and especially Cribbage.  He could usually be found playing a game of cribbage on his lunchbreak and was always willing to teach the game to anyone willing to learn.

In Shoreline, John continued his work with the Boy Scouts and volunteered with his children’s schools.  He was adamant about attending Track and Swim meets and soccer games.  John was very proud of his Illinois State Pole Vault Champion success in high school and enjoyed teaching his daughter the necessary skills for her to succeed in this event.

Unfortunately, John became ill shortly after moving to Washington and was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) in late 2022.  He fought a courageous battle with ALS, never letting it get the best of him.  John still rode around in his power wheelchair every day and put 1000+ miles on it, of which he was very proud.  John remained at home and surrounded by family and friends until his passing.  He was 47 years old.  John will be missed dearly.

John is survived by his wife Emalie, children Lillian and Logan, his father Doug, brother Jason and other loving family members.  Ashes will be spread in his favorite places: the beach, the desert, and the forest.  A celebration of life will be planned for a future date.