Patricia Joy Sherman

Our beloved Mom, Patricia, passed in the morning of Friday October 2, 2020 at her home in Hoopa held by her husband and surrounded by her children, grandchildren great nieces Farrah and Nicole and great great niece Ki'Gech.

She was 79 years young. She was born in Arcata and spent her childhood in Willow Creek. Patricia lived the remainder of her life on the Hoopa Indian Reservation with her family.

She and Herman "Shack," her husband of 60 years raised their three children; Jill, Duane and Lesley. Many of their friends considered the Sherman's house as their home too. David Masten was considered another son who regularly returned to the house he considered his second home. She also enjoyed the time of having her niece, Yvonne, live with her during her high school years and her nephew Fred Mattingly also lived with her to attend high school. Patricia cared for her grandchildren while their parents worked and many of their friends also called her "Gramma." Family and friends returned "home" to enjoy her comfort food cooking and the delicious pies. She had a special table built for all to gather together for meals and games. Her love of family and her lord and savior is well known and respected by many.

She is preceded in death by her parents Clem and Juanita Bussell, brother Oswald Bussell, sister Wilma Mattingly, Deanna Whitehurst, Clem "Mush" Bussell, and infant brother Donald Dean; brother-in-laws George Mattingly, Reginald Davis Sr. and Jim Davis; sister-in-law Theresa Bussell; nephews Michael Rowe, Raymond Davis, Reginald Davis Jr., Ronnie Dean Davis, and niece Karen Taylor; and cousins Vernon Bussell Sr., Vernon "Tootie" Bussell Jr., Virgil "Beebo" Bussell, and Ruel Leach. She is survived by her husband Herman "Shack" Sherman Jr, her children, Jill Sherman-Warne and her husband Jim; Duane Sherman Sr and Kayla and Lesley Hunt and her husband Tim and youngest GG Sherman; and sister Darlene Mesunas and husband Jim and Ethel Davis Allen, sister-in-law. Patricia is also survived by her grandchildren; Troy Fletcher Jr., Cody Fletcher, Josh Sherman, Phylecia Sherman, Duane Sherman Jr., Tashone Rice, Cashkoa Rice, Briaunna Sherman, and Tyler Hunt; Her great grandchildren: Cody Fletcher Jr., Hazel Fletcher, Raayoy Fletcher, Dane Sherman, and Reagan Sherman. Her nieces and nephews Beverly Cole, Theita and husband Wayne Callagan, Vicki Mattingly, George Mattingly, Fred Mattingly, Arnold Davis and Connie, Stevie Jarnaghan and husband Joe, Timothy Bussell Sr, Gordon Bussell, and Anita Bussell, Elizabeth Davis, Rick Davis, Robyn Reed and husband Ron, Raylene Davis, Eliane Jones and husband Alan, John Gutierrez, Yvonne Jackson and husband Roger, Walter Whitehurst Jr and Leonard "Spam" Ferris. She was especially close to several of her great nieces and nephews; Farrah and Louie Gamino, Nicole Ferris, Melissa and Curtis Kane, Joe Davis and Kayla. Her numerous great-nieces and nephews. Gramma Pat will be dearly missed by family and friends.

The youngest of 6 children. Her eldest brother was 28 when she was born. Her father served in France during World War I and her brothers served in World War II. As a child, Patricia, suffered from rheumatic fever and as a result was home schooled. With her dad, Clem Bussell Sr. and his friends being World War I veterans she grew up listening to the horrors of war across the sea. She and her Niece, Beverly (Mattingly) Cole were raised as siblings. Beverly's mom and dad served in World War II so the girls were raised like sisters on the Bussell Ranch.

Patricia's siblings were married before she entered high school so she was raised like an only child enjoying the Bussell Ranch and Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Hall that had been built when she was 5. There Clem and his fellow service men formed and built the VFW Ironside Post #9561 to bring together the veterans of World War I and World War II together to share and reminisce their personal stories to help ease the difficulties of assimilating back into the daily life of a civilian of which Patricia grew up being part of and enjoying. Patricia fostered love for the VFW in her own children. They spent many late nights cleaning and playing in the VFW Hall and selling "Buddy Poppies." They grew up listening to Bing Crosby and singing his songs. Patricia held a life-long commitment to the VFW. One of the last projects of the Ladies Auxiliary was their cookbook "Red, White and Blueberry." She was a proud lifetime member of the Ladies Auxiliary, established in 1948, but this was disbanded by the Post Commander, Dusty Napier. However, this did not deter Patricia and her daughter, as they immediately transferred her membership in the Ladies Auxiliary to the next closest in Ferndale.

At sixteen Patricia moved to Los Angeles to attend beauty school (School of Cosmetology). While there she lived first with her great aunt and then her brother. She began coloring her hair when she was fourteen. She and her niece, Beverly received permission to color their hair from Bev's dad, George Mattingly. Family and friends remember her wedding day vividly recalling her beautiful lavender hair (her wedding colors were lavender and white) and that it was three hours late. Shack, her husband couldn't have been happier to marry the love of his life and she too knew that he was the love of her life. When she married, their forever home was in Hoopa. Shack and Patricia loved family and maybe this was because they were both the youngest (babies) of their families.

Their first child was born 5 years after their wedding and was long awaited by their nieces and nephews. In fact their nephew, Ronald "Dean" Davis, would often talk about the day Jill was born was also the day he made a game winning touchdown in high school. Patricia and Shack (Herman) took in their niece Yvonne Rowe during her high school years at Hoopa High. They also took in their nephew, Fred Mattingly during his high school years as well. Patricia was also proud of the fact that her daughter was 7 years old before she ever had a sandwich. Patricia always believed in cooking for her family full meals at least 3 times a day. In fact she had her husband and nephew, Johnny G., build a 9ft table so that as her family grew to include grandchildren, everyone could sit and enjoy the meal together. In fact they had to extend the kitchen another 15ft to accommodate the table. She fully enjoyed her children. Her daughter Lesley was always alongside her in the kitchen learning her cooking skills. Her son Duane was known to have friends stay to celebrate his birthday for weeks on end enjoying her cooking. Patricia's grandchildren were a joy to her. Patricia cooked for children and grandchildren's friends and many of them share fond memories of her food. She always cooked enough for 20 people because she believed "you never know who would stop by and be hungry." Family friend Andy Sadis was a regular she and her husband enjoyed and counted on to share their Sunday brunch.

Cooking was a passion of Patricia's. She collected cookbooks and recipes and always tried out new delights on her family. Patricia and her husband owned the restaurant "Sherman's" in Hoopa. Their children learned the "ins and outs" of restaurant ownership. Patricia, her husband and kids waited tables, did dishes, and even cooked meals for patrons. Patricia took in, hired and supported her own sisters, Deanna and Darlene, at the restaurant and provided for them the use of her vehicles and home so they could better their own lives. Patricia's cooking is well known and many came to eat the fresh pies that Patricia would bake daily. Patricia believed that meals should be prepared using the best ingredients and should not only taste good but be served to entice the eye too. Her kids would tell her that her pies tasted just like their grandma's (her mom) but she believed nothing could compare to her mom's baking prowess. Patricia always enjoyed treats prepared by others. Her favorite was Ethel Ruth's Divinity and she was known to hide this treat from others including family.
Patricia possessed a fierce love for her husband and children. When her husband served on the Hoopa Tribal Council she had to deal with prank phone calls. One heavy breather hung up after she refused to respond except with her own heavy breathing. Both her and her children had a good laugh. She believed in good clean fun and always encouraged her kids to be creative. One time before the annual Bigfoot Days in Willow Creek she made Bigfoot Footprint stencils for her kids to spray paint "footprints" from the middle of town "walking" over to the Veterans Park. No one ever knew this was the work of Patricia and her kids. One other time she drove her kids to 'toilet paper" the preacher's house and several of the elders of the church. One time she sat back and enjoyed a "food fight" between the siblings and even though cake and frosting was all over the table, floor and walls it was the good "clean" fun she supported. She also enjoyed board games and after dinner it was a regular event to play games around the family dining table into the wee hours of the morning with the TV blaring in the background with guffaws abounding. This continues to this day! Bedtime for her and husband was around 3-4am. She always said she did her best baking after midnight! Needless to say calls to the house before 10am were not always appreciated but for family she was always awake.

Patricia loved Christmas! It was always her wish to have a year-round Christmas tree and for many years she did have the Christmas tree displaying hearts in February, Clovers in March, Eggs in April and Flags in July and Pumpkins in October. Her creative streak always abounded. In 1995, she started her annual cookie exchange! This year would have been her 25th year. She invited all community members to come celebrate the season by exchanging cookies, playing games and enjoying a hearty meal together. Many children who now have their own kids looked forward to attending this special event. She and her husband would also cook steak kabobs to sell at the annual Christmas Bazaar. She also said if her lights were on in the kitchen that meant anyone could stop in for a bite to eat and many community members did! Every year for Halloween she made popcorn balls to handout to parents and children. Some would call ahead and ask for theirs to be set aside and she would. Every year she would make and handout over 300 popcorn balls. She felt fortunate that she served four generations of families with her popcorn balls.

Patricia and her husband, Shack, held a deep faith in God. They believed that anytime the church doors were open the family should be inside on the pews. Her family spent many a night cleaning the church and when her kids would complain she would say we want God's house to be clean. She would wake her kids up by singing loudly "Rise and Shine and Give God the Glory Glory." She hosted many summer missionaries and visiting preachers in her home for the week or weeks they needed a bed and good meals. She enjoyed cooking for the "potlucks" after church and supported "progressive" dinners of which she made the desserts and "Robert Redford" was a favorite. She was also known as a "prayer warrior" she and her husband believed in the power of prayer and accepting the will of God in their lives. Even if you told her you didn't want to pray, she simply would begin to pray. There was no stopping her belief in God and him answering prayer.

She believed that God always had a plan.

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