Memorial trees planted for:

CMSgt Sherrell Crittendon Pyles

Sherrell Crittendon Pyles was born Friday, 11 September 1931, at home near Medon, Tennessee. His parents were Dessie Adele Pyles (née Frye) and Riley Fulton Pyles. He joined two older sisters, Lillian and Ruth, and older brother Wilfred, and soon, younger brother, Charles. During his high school years he lived with Ruth and brother-in-law Kenneth Stevens in nearby Bolivar, Tennessee. Sherrell was hired by the local grocer’s family to care for their lawn and plants. He also took telephone orders and delivered groceries throughout the neighborhood, driving the grocer’s truck; and although he had no license, he taught himself. One sweltering day in 1950 he was chopping sorghum canes at the family farm. He was sweaty and tired when his cousin Earl drove up and asked Sherrell to come with him to join the U.S. Air Force. Sherrell stopped chopping immediately and his mother sat down and cried. Sherrell and his cousin were on a train that evening bound for Wichita Falls, Texas. At Sheppard Air Force Base he was told he had two left feet and he believed he did! His first assignment was in Smyrna, Tennessee and he took a bus home on weekends. However, this changed when his entire outfit was transferred to Morocco. His job was jeep driver for the commander and performed radar operations on the B-36 Peacemaker. On Sherrell’s off-duty time he filled a barrel with ice and chilled bottled soft drinks to sell and ran the projector showing films to the Airmen. After hours he played poker. He sent all his soda profits and poker winnings via postal money order to his mother. Upon return to the states he was stationed for a short time in North Carolina. Then he went overseas to Naples, Italy and then Upper Heyford, England. Sometime later he was transferred to Hamilton Air Force Base, California where he worked in Personnel. During an inspection, the Headquarters Inspector General team was so impressed with him that they immediately placed him on their team! And off duty he was the base theater manager. New to the Air Force and to Hamilton was 2nd Lieutenant Carole Shellenberger who had the additional duty as Theater Officer. Sherrell was not happy with having a female officer appointed over him. However, he soon changed his mind and asked Carole to take a scenic drive with him through the Muir Woods. From then on, they became inseparable. On 16 July 1966 they were married in the base chapel. They were soon both transferred to the Washington D.C. area. Carole was at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland and Sherrell at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. He was in the 1127th Field Activities Group, a classified organization. He was the individual, known as “Super Personnel Manager of the Air Force” charged with installing and operating the new Burroughs 3500 Computing System. In his off-duty time, he and Carole dug and found hundreds of antique bottles. In 1970 they were assigned to Germany, Carole at Frankfurt and Sherrell at Rhein-Main Air Base. There at the Air Force Hospital at Wiesbaden he had two boys born, one in 1971 and the other in 1975. At Rhein-Main he was twice named the Senior Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year. And then he moved south to Ramstein Air Base in the Kaiserslautern area. He worked for a short time in Personnel before being hired by the Base Commander to be the Ramstein’s first-ever Base Sergeant Major. Two of his commanders were former Vietnam Prisoners of War who spent time in the “Hanoi Hilton”, another was a SR-71 Blackbird pilot who overflew the Soviet missile buildup in Cuba. All commanders totally respected Sherrell’s unique level of expertise. He provided solutions to anything from placing state flags to finance to plane crashes. He retired in 1985 in a ceremony presided over by the Headquarters United States Air Force Europe Commander in Chief, General Charles Donnelly. During a mandatory post-retirement hiatus, he transformed Woodlawn golf course into a premier base facility. Then as a civil service federal employee, working as the base finance manager, he took on a myriad of “extra” responsibilities, which included counseling dependent children. He turned many offenders into changed positive personalities. He was ever revisited and thanked by those he’d helped. In 1997, Carole took employment in the Joint Analysis Center in England. Sherrell retired from civil service as a GS-12 and joined her. They immensely appreciated England and Scotland. One facet was they became bird enthusiasts, beginning with exposure to Swan migrations to Welney Reserve. In 2005 they sailed on the Queen Mary to New York, which culminated 35 years living in Europe, and then road Amtrak to San Antonio, Texas. They had purchased a house on the former Rogers Ranch. They took road trips across the United States and cruised to countless world destinations. In Texas itself, the Hill Country was special with its blue bonnets and Indian paint brushes. Sherrell lived a good life with wonderful and unique experiences. He had a wide host of dear friends, many who are United States Air Force colleagues. And in his words when he retired from active duty, “Thank you for being here with me on this special occasion [as I retire from life on earth]. I have seen the bad times and the good times. I am proud to have been a part of making life better for all Americans. Thank you for carrying on the tradition of service. I wish you the best of luck with your lives. God Bless.” Sherrell is survived by his wife Carole, his son Riley (Colonel, U.S. Air Force), and daughter-in-law Christina, and grandsons Connor and Logan.

September 11, 1931 - April 8, 2021

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5 Trees have been planted in memory of CMSgt Sherrell Pyles.

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Memorial Trees

Janine Watts

August 05, 2021

The planting of 1 memorial tree in the honor of CMSgt Sherrell Crittendon Pyles has been arranged by Janine Watts. Planted in Chequamegon Nicolet National Forest Reforestation WI. Plant a tree

Harry & I were saddened to hear of Sherrell's passing. We recalled our cruise and the friendliness shown by you and Carole. Sincerely, Janine Watts

The Hetrick Family

April 11, 2021

The planting of 3 memorial trees in the honor of CMSgt Sherrell Crittendon Pyles has been arranged by The Hetrick Family. Planted in Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest WI. Plant a tree

Peace, Love and Blessings

Darlene Larson

April 11, 2021

The planting of 1 memorial tree in the honor of CMSgt Sherrell Crittendon Pyles has been arranged by Darlene Larson. Planted in Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest WI. Plant a tree

Remembering you and "CMSgt Sherrell Pyles" in our minds and in our hearts. The tree represents a life long freindship and love.

Trees planted

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