Richard "Wally" Sherrod

Richard Wallace “Wally” Sherrod, of Thornton, passed away on Monday, January 20, 2014, after a very brief illness, at age 49. Visitation will be Tuesday, January 21, 2014, from 6:00 to 8:00 P.M. at the Groesbeck Funeral Home Chapel. Funeral services will be held at 10:00 A.M. on Wednesday, January 22, 2014, at the Groesbeck Funeral Home Chapel, with Reverend Steve Nance of the First United Methodist Church officiating. Burial will follow in the Seale-Round Prairie Cemetery. Pallbearers will be Boyson Theiss, Kirk Murray, Jessie Gladden, John Pat Murphy, Mike Stubblefield, and Zack Shriver. All of Sherrod services will serve as honorary pallbearers, as well as Todd Telford, Rick Kestler,Tony Smith and Johnny Bell. Wally was born in Groesbeck on February 25, 1964 to Richard Browning Sherrod and Billie Nettles Ticknor. He grew up in the Oletha community and attended Groesbeck High School. Wally enlisted in the U. S. Navy in the early eighties, and toured the world aboard the nuclear submarine, U.S. S. Henry Clay. He enjoyed visiting in many ports worldwide, especially in Australia, and had many stories to share of his experiences. Wally was fast-paced, perhaps a rebel, who enjoyed fast action, and like his favorite youth TV show, he wanted to be “Moving On.” From a teenager, through his late thirties, he participated in local rodeos in bull and bronc riding and had belt buckles as well as a few injuries. He also loved riding Harleys, a passion for he and his fiancee Donna. He and Donna had been friends for a long time, but she was his fiancée the past year. Wally loved the outdoors and fishing, and cook outs of the fish. Wally was the fifth generation to live on his father’s home-place. He was thankful and appreciative of his life there from his birth on. With Donna’s encouragement, he served as a volunteer with the Seale-Round Prairie Fire Department. He had worked in his lifetime as a certified electrician, welder, heavy equipment operator, and apprentice boilermaker at the power plant at Jewett. But his passion was driving trucks, and he had made many cross-country trips for various companies. He worked for the last several years for Sherrod services, where he not only worked with his two brothers Keith and Danny, but was their greatest confidant. Wally was a beloved son, father, and brother, and friend to many, and he was Uncle Waldo to the nieces and nephews. He was a jokester, and he loved people and saw the beauty in each person. His greatest gift in life was his God-given ability to apply his life’s experiences and knowledge with wisdom to mediate any situation. Many other friends and especially his sons also considered him as a confidant and went to him for advice. Wally was preceded in death by his father, Richard Sherrod. He is survived by his sons, Richard Layne Sherrod of Waco; Christopher Dean Sherrod and fiancée Sara Carpenter and their new baby, Easton JoeWallace Sherrod of Mexia; Derrick Colton Sherrod of Waco; and Cody Alexander Sherrod of Oletha and his son, Grayson Dean Sherrod. He also leaves behind brother and sister-in-law, Danny and Wendy Sherrod of Thornton; brother and sister-in-law, Keith and Kay Sherrod of Groesbeck; sister and brother-in-law, Lesley and Rick Long of Coyle, Oklahoma; brother, Kevin Sherrod of Old Union; Wally's fiancée, Donna “Pebbles” Willis of Old Union; his mother, Billie Ticknor of Old Union; and numerous nieces and nephews and many other extended family.