‘Billy Eugene Sherrod’ by Ashlyn Johnson
If I ever had another chance to spend a day with my grandpa, I definitely would. I am so proud to be his granddaughter. He was happy all the time, and he was the most courageous person I have ever met. My Grandpa Bill was amazing because of the influence his childhood had on him, what he accomplished in his adult life, his family and travels. Bill’s childhood and his experiences growing up were not easy. Billy Eugene Sherrod was born on March 3, 1932, in Knoxville, Tennessee. When he was born, his mom was very sick, and she ended up passing away three months after his birth. After she passed away, his older siblings had to raise him. He had five siblings and one step-sister. Their names were Dorothy, who was 89 when she passed away; Helen, who was 86 when she passed away; Thomas, who was 50 when he passed away; Claude, who was 43 when he passed away; Shelle, who was 86 when she passed away; and step-sister Cladine,
who is still living and is 68. When he was growing up, Bill didn’t have much. He lived in a shack with dirt floors and had to build things by himself a lot. Not only did his mom pass away when he was just a few months old, but at age 8 he was hit by a charter bus. He was in very bad shape for a long time, but got better over time, and it’s a miracle he lived. He went to school for 12 years before dropping out and joining the U.S. Army. He was deployed to go to the Korean War. At age 21, after serving in the Army for four years, Bill ended his time in the Army and met his wife, Joanne Ponts. What happened during my grandpa’s childhood helped influence and mold him into the man he became; family was very important to him. He got married in 1954 to Joanne Ponts at age 22. He ended up having three kids and their names were Terri, Sandy and Dennis (“Denny”), who ended up passing away at the age of 17. Bill worked at John Deere and Joanne worked for a meat factory to keep the family going. A couple of Bill’s favorite hobbies were basketball and stick war
fights around the house with his kids. Bill and Joanne took a lot of vacations with the kids and practically lived in the car. Bill’s all-time favorite vacation spot was Florida. He loved to go there, and lived down there for more than 30 years. In Florida, his favorite thing to get was chicken from his favorite restaurant. He lived in Florida until he was 80. He moved to a nursing home in Moline, and that’s where my great-grandpa passed away. He was buried at the Rock Island Arsenal. You think you may be close with someone, but maybe you aren’t as close as you think because I sure thought I knew my grandpa Bill, but I still learned so many things that made me proud. I felt that I got so much closer with him now that I know some more about him and his life. I really liked this project, and that it helped us get closer with someone we chose to learn about. My grandpa Bill was amazing because of his childhood, adulthood, traveling and family. My grandpa’s life wasn’t easy, but he was the great man he was because he fought through it all.
by the city. At 7 p.m., a flag burning ceremony, followed by Farmer Olympics. The movie “Trolls World Tour” will be shown at The Great River Threshers of Miles, Iowa, will be celebrating their 45th year on 8 p.m.. Saturday at 10 a.m., is a tractor show. July 16, 17 and 18. There will be a blacksmith, broom making, On Friday night, there will be a parade beginning at 6:30 p.m. that is sponsored sawing and shingle making. Horse- pow-
ered and steam-engine threshing demonstrations at 10:30 a.m., followed by a threshers meal until 1:30 p.m. Other Saturday events include a spelling bee at 1 p.m., bingo at 2 p.m., Pedal Pull, Mud Bog at 3 p.m., Mutton Bustin’ at 5 p.m. and music by Matt McPherson at 7 p.m.
Sunday starts with a pancake breakfast from 7 to 11 a.m. A church service will take place at Miles City Park at 8:30 a.m. A horse show, adult and youth mud volleyball, and the 100th 4-H local show take place at 10 a.m. Call 563-357-1065 for information.
As one of the final projects of the year, seventh graders at Erie Middle School were challenged to pick an ancestor or someone that they could research and learn more about in order to write a story about that person’s life. Students conducted interviews with family members, and some were able to gather additional resources and pictures to help tell their story. While many great stories were written, not all will be published. The project was a collaborative effort between the students’ history classes with Mrs. Gretchen Kruthoff and Mr. Matt Armstrong, English class with Mrs. Samantha Wolf, and their families. It was inspired by the original project that longtime English teacher Mrs. Wiersema made a tradition in her eighth grade class, and the teachers were excited to bring back the project. Students enjoyed getting to know more about their families, and many were surprised to learn how interesting their families were. We hope you will enjoy their stories.
IN BRIEF Great River Threshers to celebrate 45th year
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13 WHITESIDE NEWS Shaw Media / ShawLocal.com • Tuesday, July 13, 2021
Erie Middle School seventh grade students’ ancestor project is back
