Sherrill Lee Grounds

August 5, 1936 - August 26, 2019

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Sherrill Grounds. He lived a marvelous 30,336 days, filled with great adventure, accomplishments, love, and laughter. He never lost his sense of humor, compassion for people, or zest all the way up to his last day with us. We were gifted with him being able to drift off to sleep, following days of many friends and family visiting. Even as he became weaker, he was so excited to see each one of you or hear your messages sent through his daughters.

Sherrill began this beautiful life as the first born to Jed and Mabel (Midge) Grounds in Yakima Washington. He spent his early childhood in the Yakima area with his parents and his younger siblings, Michael and Marsha. As a teenager, his family moved to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho and it is here where he graduated high school and began his love for North Idaho. Sherrill then went to Eastern Washington University and graduated from there with his Master’s in Education, in 1958. While at college he met and married Patricia, who also graduated with her degree in education. Their love story broke all barriers, in so many ways. Their careers had them teaching at Kamiah, Wendell, Post falls, Coeur d’ Alene and finally Kellogg Middle and High School. He was an art and drama teacher for many years at KHS, Pat an English and Speech teacher, they both eventually retired from KHS. Their love brought them 4 children, Mary Elizabeth (Libby), Alison, Michael, and Johnny. Sherrill had two granddaughters, Brandy and Trisha Spangler (Libby’s daughters). Sherrill could always be found skiing with his kids and granddaughters, camping with his loves, cooking for his dear family, visiting with dear friends and laughing often. He was a very attentive and active husband, father, grandfather, and a friend. There are some fun family jokes about how strict of a teacher he could be, and his children were no exception to his rules in his classroom. We recently laughed together about this, the good belly laugh kind of laugh. As his children became older and “grown”, he and Pat decided they wanted to try their hand at community theatre. They, along with Don & Joan Springer, dreamt up and started a little theatre in Wallace Idaho. The Sixth Street Melodrama holds so many memories for our family and friends, and the community of the Silver Valley. It is still an honor to see it going so proud and strong today. Sherrill directed and acted in all of the plays, designed the sets and the infamous curtain for Kelly’s Alley Review and may have played with a rubber chicken a lot!! Pat wrote many of the plays used in the little live theatre. His children and grandchildren spent a lot of time in the theatre helping, playing, maybe being in the way, and being a part of the family of actors that passed through all of their lives. Alison and Michael even acted in a few plays. The years spent at Kellogg High School and The Sixth Street Melodrama was very precious to Sherrill and Pat, and how very incredible that they shared both passions together. Somewhere in there they both had the crazy idea to open a little pottery store front in Wallace. He loved pottery and his work was very much made out of his love for art. Shortly after retirement Sherrill lost his beloved Pat to cancer. They had not been apart during their entire 39 years together; Sherrill spent from August 2, 1995 through most of 1996 and 1997 kind of a lost soul, not knowing what to do without Pat. In the heartache of 1995, he was given the gift of 3 more grandchildren, through the relationship of Libby and Kelly. He adored Kelly, Alisa, Joshua, and Rebecca and loved them so dearly. His daughters and their partners at the time,Kim and Kelly, and his grandchildren loved him through his pain and confusion, until a brand new chapter emerged for him. He left his home in uptown Kellogg and traveled and explored. He danced at incredible clubs, oh did he dance, he met new and intriguing people, and he found and discovered a piece of him that he didn’t even know existed. Through this he was enlightened with the LGBTQ community, one which he embraced wholeheartedly and very openly. He had some wild times as this transition took place, stories I am certain most of us will never know. And then he met sweet Bob, very much his second love of his lifetime. It was truly a whirlwind of calm, passion, love, and peace. They blended together like they were always meant to be. Bob being shy and quiet and completely swept off his feet by Sherrill’s vivacious ways of living life, and Sherrill completely head over heels in love with Bob’s everything. Sherrill even was chosen for a reality TV show, House of Dreams, in 2003, while they were standing in line for a Broadway Musical in New York. We recently laughed when Sherrill stated he didn’t know why they chose him……… “Grandpa, a very openly gay man standing in lines for a Broadway Musical……you were EXACTLY what they were looking for” oh did we laugh at the thought of that moment in time. Bob patiently waited for him at home, while he went on the reality tv adventure, in Florida. We all watched every week, eagerly waiting to get a glimpse of him. Shortly after he returned, Bob took a job in Las Vegas, and off they went to a brand new chapter of their lives together. December 2005 Bob collapsed in their home, they hadn’t been there but a month or so. Bob never came home, he passed away of pneumonia in ICU later that day. Sherrill was not allowed to be by his side, because he was not family. It was absolutely devastating, both his daughters and Ali’s Davida went and rescued him in a city he did not know, without his love by his side. They and their significant others loved him through another deep loss. He was once again lost, and we are not so sure he every actually recovered from the loss of Bob. He came back to Spokane and went through the motions of living, but he wasn’t ever the same. He continued to love, laugh, and embrace life, just a little bit of sparkle was always missing. He spent as much time as he could with his friends and family, camping, traveling, and going to the theatre. He very much enjoyed yearly trips to Lincoln City, Oregon with Libby. Just a month ago, Brandy and her two children, Haley and Heidi were finally able to join them to Lincoln City. A trip both Sherrill and Libby had tried to make happen for years. I feel like we could go on and on with Sherrill stories, like this piece doesn’t even begin to truly touch his life and the impact he had on all of us.

We are very certain that Sherrill was met with a phenomenal party, the moment he left this life. Those there to greet him and celebrate being reunited had to have been Pat and Bob - together no doubt, his beautiful great-granddaughter SadieLee, his loving and doting parents, his mother in law Jeanie, lots of precious friends, and many, many loved animals.

Those left with his memory, legacy, and forever broken hearts are his daughter Libby and her wife Coleen, his daughter Alison and her wife Sherry, his granddaughter Brandy and her partner Will, along with their children, his Great Grandchildren, Haley and Heidi, his granddaughter Trisha and her husband Nate, their daughter and his Great Granddaughter Madison (hold SadieLee for them Grandpa), his sons, wherever life has taken them, Michael and Johnny, his Granddaughter Alisa and her family, his granddaughter Rebecca, and grandson Joshua, his Brother Michael and his wife Linda, his sister Marsha and her husband Joel, many nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews, and extended family. His dear friends the Libbeys, his very best friends Jeff and David, special “daughters” Kelly, Davida, and Kim, and his German Shepherd Remi. He had so many true and deep friendships, he valued each one of you and we know you too are mourning him.

A very special thank you to his daughter Libby for being by his side every single day for the last 4 years, to the entire staff at Brighton Court including Luke the Lab, and his Comfort Care Nurse, Emily. A true thank you to all that loved him for exactly who he was.

Please join us to celebrate and honor Sherrill on Saturday, September 28, 2019 from 3pm-9pm, McEuen Park 420 East Front Avenue, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho 83814. Please bring a memory or two and a food dish to share. Water and soft drinks will be provided. No alcohol or glass containers please. Come rain or SHINE. Dress in whatever you feel like wearing.

For those not familiar, this is at Coeur d’Alene Lake/Tubbs Hill, one of Sherrill’s favorite places.

Instead of cards and/or flowers, please consider donating to your local animal shelter or spreading kindness in anyway. Please embrace people for who they are, including yourself. He taught all of us this, in such beautiful ways.

“How lucky are we to have something that makes saying goodbye so very hard?” - Winnie the Pooh