Services for Sheldon Sheridan, 53, of Groton will be 10 a.m. Friday, Dec. 7, at Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Groton. Pastor Elizabeth Johnson will officiate. Burial will follow at Sunset Memorial Gardens, Aberdeen, under the direction of Paetznick-Garness Funeral Chapel, Groton.
Visitation will be held at the church on Thursday from 4 to 8 p.m., with a prayer service at 7 p.m.
Sheldon passed away Dec. 2, 2012, at his home, surrounded by his family, after a short battle with cancer. He was diagnosed on Nov. 15, 2012.
Sheldon was born on March 7, 1959, to John and Marlene (Friese) Sheridan in Deadwood. He graduated from Northwestern High School in 1978. Sheldon married Ann Martin on Oct. 9, 1982. He worked at 3M in Aberdeen for 34 years. He took great pride in his ability to mechanically fix the machines at 3M. Through his years of employment, he touched many people with his great sense of humor and keen sense. He had a way about him that made people laugh, whether it was a good joke, or a simple wave.
Besides the love for his family, Sheldon loved dirt track racing. He competed for 17 years at the Brown County Speedway, where he raced in the street stock and super stock divisions. In 2003, he retired from racing to become the crew chief as his son, Brad, took the wheel of racing. The last two years he played double duty crew chief as his new son-in-law, Tony, also races! This sport was the love of his life, and you'd find Sheldon with his family at a race track every weekend during the summer months. He called these racing trips his family vacations because his family was always together at the various tracks. Through this, he has been enriched with many friends from the racing community.
On Oct. 22, 2012, the new love of his life was born. His new granddaughter, Raelee. She was the apple of his eye and she truly helped him the last 3 weeks of his life. She was a true blessing for him.
Sheldon is survived by his wife, Ann; son, Bradley; daughter, McKensey (Tony) Konold; granddaughter, Raelee; his mother, Marlene; siblings: Verdelle (Sue), Marilyn (Mike) Johnson, Nancy Hawkins, Kevin (Leslie), Floyd, Corey, Sharla, Ferlin and Danelle Sheridan; grandmother, Alma Sheridan; and many nieces and nephews, aunts and uncles. He also considered Karen and Dale Wolter his chosen parents.
Preceding him in death is his father, John Jr.; infant sister, Barbra; grandparents; Walter and Alice Friese; grandfather, John Sr.; and a very special mother-in-law, Leslie Martin.
Sheldon was a very casually dressed person who usually wore a racing T-shirt or a Pittsburg Steelers T-shirt. Please feel free to attend with your racing T-shirt or Steelers T-shirt on.
In lieu of flowers, the family would prefer donations made to the Avera hospice program.
Honorary casketbearers will be Sheldon's fellow 3M employees and extended racing families.
Casketbearers will be: Monty Forsting, Wylie Johnson, Michael Sheridan, Shaun Sheridan, Jeremy Nelson, Justin Kollman and Eric Garrett.
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