Nellouise Sherman

Nellouise (Nell) Shanahan Sherman, age 81, of Lawrence, Kansas, passed away Thursday, July 19, 2012.  She was born in Iola, Kansas, August 26, 1930, the middle daughter of Thomas E. and Calla B. (Allen) Shanahan.  Her family included two sisters and three brothers.  Nell grew up in Iola, graduating from high school in 1948. She attended the University of Kansas Medical School in KCK for nurse training graduating in 1951.  After graduation, she married her high school sweet heart, Jerry L. Sherman on June 10, 1951 in Iola, Kansas.

During her husband’s 20-years of service in the U.S. Air Force, they traveled extensively and Nell worked as a both a volunteer and practicing nurse.  After her husband’s Air Force retirement, the family moved to Lawrence, Kansas in 1972 where she worked as a professional nurse for several local doctors and for the Visiting Nurses Association.  Nell went back to college, taking classes part-time as one of the few ’non-traditional’ students on campus and earning a Bachelor of Science in Education from the University of Kansas in 1981.  Nell then worked for 10 years as a nurse practitioner at the K-Mart Distribution Center until she retired.

Nell and Jerry have three sons Tom (born 1953), Barry (1959), and Fred (1964), and one daughter Penny (1955).  Her hobbies included quilting and sewing, and she was President of the Kaw Valley Quilter’s Guild in the 1990’s.  Nell was also a member of District 17 American Nurses.  

Nellouise was preceded in death by her parents, her brothers, E. Eugene Shanahan, Robert A. Shanahan, and her sister Elizabeth B. Wilson. Nellouise is survived by her husband of 61 years, Jerry L. of Lawrence, Kansas; sons, Thomas B. and wife Marilyn, Barry N. and wife Rita, Fredrick L. and wife Susan, all of Olathe, Kansas; one daughter, Penny Tubbs Johnson and husband Gary, of Arlington, Texas; one sister, Jane Gleason and husband, Jerry, of Aurora, Colorado; one brother, John Shanahan and wife Patricia, of Lake Worth, Florida; nine grandchildren, and one soon to arrive great-granddaughter.

Funeral services will be held at 1p.m. on Monday, July 23rd at Warren-McElwain Mortuary with entombment to follow at Memorial Park Mausoleum.  A visitation will be held Sunday, from 3 to 5 p.m. at the mortuary.

 The family suggests memorials in Nell’s name to the Douglas County Visiting Nurses, Rehabilitation and Hospice Care.