Lynn Sherrod Ph.D.

Memorial services for Lynn Sherrod, Ph.D., of Tyler, will be held on Saturday, September 16, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. at Glenwood Church of Christ with Ben Neeley officiating, under the direction of Stewart Family Funeral Home. Leslie Lynn Sherrod Ph.D. was born in 1940 and grew up on his family farm outside of Levelland, Texas. He is preceded in death by his parents Jack Sherrod and Melba Pace Sherrod of Levelland, Texas, and his younger sisters Brenda Sherrod Cribbs and Darla Sherrod Moore of Lubbock, Texas. He passed away in Tyler, Texas on September 5, 2023, at the age of 83. In his younger years, Lynn enjoyed showing Duroc pigs with the local FFA and learning all he could about farming and nature. This ignited his passion to further his education and his desire to explore and travel the world. After finishing high school, Lynn attended Lubbock Christian College (now Lubbock Christian University) and graduated with a General Science degree in 1960. He transferred to Texas Tech University, where he obtained his Bachelor of Arts in 1963 and Master of Arts in 1965 from the College of Arts and Sciences. He majored in Zoology for his undergraduate studies and Bio-Chemistry for his graduate degree. He then moved to Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon, where he majored in Botany and graduated with his Doctorate of Philosophy in 1968. It was also in Corvallis that he met his loving wife of 55 years, Marjorie Hundling Sherrod. They were married in 1967 and moved to Braunschweig, Germany for Lynn’s Post Doctorate at the Technische Universität Braunschweig. In 1969, he and Marjorie returned to the States and relocated to Lubbock, Texas where they welcomed the birth of Bethany in 1970 and Jason in 1972. In 1975 the family moved to Tyler, Texas, and later welcomed Rachel in 1982. Lynn was extremely knowledgeable about nature and passionate about environmental preservation and protection. He enjoyed learning and teaching others what he knew. This led him to a career as a biology professor first for Lubbock Christian University, then Texas Eastern University, which later became known as the University of Texas at Tyler or UT Tyler. Lynn earned the title of Professor Emeritus of Biology and was honored to serve as the Dean of Sciences and Mathematics for the majority of his tenure at UT Tyler until he retired in 2006. Lynn’s desire to research and travel took him to a variety of countries and remote locations while he was a professor at UT Tyler. He coordinated many educational trips to Central and South America to explore the Amazon Rainforest and Galapagos Islands with his students. He also participated in the Tyler Sister Cities partnerships with Metz, France in 1984 and later Yachiyo City, Japan in 1992. While Lynn cared deeply about educating others, he also had a large sense of duty to give back to his community. He was a member of the Native Plant Society of Texas and the Tyler Reforestation Encouraging Ecological Stability Committee (TREES). He was also a member of Glenwood Church of Christ since arriving in Tyler, where he proudly served on the grounds committee for many years. Lynn was a hard worker, but after retirement, he really enjoyed planning vacations to different locations. He and Marjorie traveled to places like Israel, Australia, New Zealand, Alaska, and all over Europe. No vacation of Lynn's would be complete without a methodically planned list of learning opportunities such as museums, historical sites, or something culturally informative. Anyone who knew Lynn well knew that he had a very serious side, but also had a huge love for comedy. He could crack jokes for hours and could oftentimes bring himself (and everyone around him) to tears with laughter. He always enjoyed watching comedies, reading a good comic strip, or reading and then forwarding a good email joke someone had sent him. He leaves behind a large group of immediate and extended family, and a large network of friends who will all miss his laughter and desire to share his knowledge and experiences with the world.

Lynn Sherrod Ph.D.

July 22, 1940 - September 5, 2023