Sherwood, Doug

19 Feb Sherwood, Doug

February 24, 1945 – February 12, 2023

Doug was born in Port Chester, New York, the second son of Roland Albus Sherwood & Elizabeth Tulloch Sherwood. As a child he lived in New York, Connecticut, and Sydney, Australia, before moving to Maryland, graduating from Laurel High School in 1962 and the University of Maryland in 1967.

He met his beloved wife Gerda (nee Boruta) on a street corner in Laurel in 1963. Her friend wanted to date Gerda’s brother Hansjoerg, but he didn’t own a car, so Doug was roped into a double date that lasted for the rest of his life.

Doug served the majority of his career as budget director for the Maryland-National Capital Park & Planning Commission (MNCPPC), from 1974 until his retirement in 2003. This followed work at the Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone Company and various banks, during which time he also earned his MBA from American University. He had an uncanny eye for grammatical and numeric errors, though his left-handed handwriting was only legible to his secretary.  He served as Treasurer of the M-NCPPC Federal Credit Union, and continued to review municipal government budgets with the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) for many years after he retired. His write-ups when he discovered the under-funding of promised retiree pension and health care benefits helped ensure financial security for countless municipal government employees.

He was a tireless volunteer, serving the Laytonsville Lions Club for 49 years as King Lion (twice), Treasurer (also of the Foundation), multiple committee positions, and Zone Chairman, in addition to being awarded as a Lion of the Years and Melvin Jones Fellow. He supported the Maryland Farm Bureau and his daughters’ school and 4-H endeavors. He was usually found holding an electric screwdriver at the 4-H Pavilion, or fabricating goalposts for his daughters’ sports teams. As a Lifetime Member at the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair, he combined his love of ice cream and volunteerism for decades, as co-chair of the Dairy Bar and a repeat buyer at the 4-H Cake and Livestock Auctions.

Auto mechanics was his avocation – he could diagnose and repair most car and household problems on his own. He built “The Barn” at home, which served as a repair shop, complete with hydraulic lift, for friends’ and neighbors’ cars and tractors. The Barn also housed his first “baby,” a pale primrose 1969 Jaguar XKE roadster that he drove off the showroom floor. He was an active member of the Nation’s Capital Jaguar Owners Club, and a judge of their competitions for many years.

Doug loved a good party and prided himself in never forgetting a face. He made grand entrances into social events and sang in his beautiful baritone – the more off-color the lyrics, the better. He wasn’t afraid to speak his mind, and delighted in cheeky limericks, risqué jokes, and a good turn of phrase.

He kept his daughters and then grandchildren happily entertained with historical facts, silly puns, and collections at home – from radio-controlled helicopters, to trains, tools, and endless jars of nuts & bolts. Friends found him consistently generous, quietly offering assistance when needed.

He was preceded in death by brothers-in-law Dr. Helmut Orthner and Chuck Cicotte.

He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Gerda Boruta Sherwood, brother John Tulloch Sherwood (Harriett), daughters Katherine Reid Sherwood and Heather Sherwood Starcevic (Tommy), five grandchildren Deven Reid Sharma, Anté James Starcevic, Rohan Sherwood Sharma, Alexander Douglas Starcevic, and Lily Reid Starcevic, as well as brothers- and sisters-in-law Sigrid Cicotte, Dr. Carolyn Orthner, Hansjoerg Orthner (Anne), Madeline Aglubat (Arturo), and numerous nephews, nieces, grand-nephews and grand-nieces.