Russell F Sherwin

Russell F. Sherwin (Russ), AA7ZL, died on March 6th in Prescott, AZ, after an 8-month battle with cancer. He was born March 26, 1937 in Cody, Wyoming to Wylie Grant and Nina Frances (nee Russell) Sherwin. Russ attended the one-room Wapiti grade school and graduated from Cody High School in 1955. After college at Oregon State, Corvallis, OR, Russ worked as an electronics engineer for a variety of small companies in the San Jose, CA area "that nobody has ever heard of, including three of his own".

Russ met the love of his life, Donna, in 1984 and they developed a love of boating that began in the California Delta with a small ski boat and culminated in selling their house and everything they owned in 2000, moving permanently aboard a 46-foot trawler named Four Seasons and setting off on an 8-year adventure during which they put 28,000 miles under the keel at 7 miles per hour, traveling the Pacific coast five times to Mexico and twice to the pacific Northwest with lots of time spent exploring Alaska.

Selling the boat in 2008 required growing up and buying an actual house, and they settled in Prescott. Russ received his first Amateur Radio license, W7CPA, in 1955 and pursued his interest in ham radio and electronics in general all his life. He belonged to three local Amateur Radio clubs, YARC, VVARA and MMRG. He was also a member of the Prescott Corral of Westerners International. Russ and Donna continued to travel extensively by RV and got to visit Alaska by land recently. Their adventures and other stories can be found at www.trawlerdogs.com  and www.wyomingstories.com  He continued his love of electronic design and pursued it as a hobby, producing many designs, gizmos and gadgets.

Russ leaves his wife, Donna, three children: Cynthia Michaels, 58, of Peterborough, NH, Tom Sherwin, 51, of San Diego, CA, and Janet Sherwin-Smalley, 48, of Oakley, CA, 6 grandchildren, 2 great-grandchildren and his beloved rescued German Shepherd Dog, Katie.

In Lieu of Flowers: Memorial contibutions In Russ' name can be made to the source of Katie: Saving Paws Rescue, P.O. Box 87148, Phoenix AZ 85080.  Their website donation page can be found at http://savingpawsrescueaz.com/

Russ specifically requested that there be no formal service, but please share your thoughts and memories here.