J.E. Sherrill

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J. E. Sherrill, Jr. (October 10, 1925 - February 4, 2007), was a public official in Bovina, a small city in Parmer County, in the Texas Panhandle adjacent to New Mexico. He was a city councilman, mayor, school board member, and municipal judge.

He was mayor for two two-year terms under the traditional mayor-council system from April 1956 to April 1960. Bovina adopted the city manager form of government in 1976, a position first held by Larry Gilley (born 1952), later the city manager in such communities as Abilene and San Marcos. From 1997 until his death, Sherrill was the city judge. All four positions to which he was elected are nonpartisan in Texas.

Sherrill was born to J.E. Sherrill, Sr., and the former Myrtle Porterfield in Draw, once a bustling village but now a ghost town in Lynn County southeast of Lubbock. He served in the United States Navy during World War II. On March 20, 1949, he married the former Patsy Clem (May 3, 1931 - June 20, 2003) in Tahoka, the seat of Lynn County. In 1953, the couple moved to Bovina, where Sherrill operated his former Sherrill Lumber for many years.

Sherrill was a member of the Bovina United Methodist Church, the Masonic lodge in Farwell, the seat of Parmer County. He was also a member of the Lubbock Scottish Rite, the Khiva Shrine, American Legion, and the Bovina Lions Club.

Sherrill died in Lubbock. Services were held on February 6, 2007, in the Bovina Methodist Church, with the Reverend Clark Williams of Canyon and Larry Mitchell of Bovina officiating. Masonic graveside services were conducted at the Bovina Cemetery by the Farwell lodge.

Survivors included two sons, Stephen N. Sherrill (born 1952) of Tahoka and Terry Jay Sherrill (born 1955) of Gruver; two daughters, Wendy Lea Curry (born 1963) of Canyon and Patti Brown (born 1965) of Panhandle; two sisters, Beatrice Brown (born 1921) of San Angelo and Etha Mae Caswell of Carlsbad, New Mexico; two brothers, Ronald Sherrill (born 1916) of Tahoka and Paul M. Sherrill (born 1928) of O'Donnell; ten grandchildren and two great grandchildren.