Roger Joseph Sheridan

Roger Joseph Sheridan, 99, passed away Thursday, February 18, 2021, at the Eastern Nebraska Veterans' Home in Bellevue, NE. A Rosary will be prayed at 7:00 p.m., Friday, June 4, 2021, at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Sutton, NE. Mass of Christian Burial will be conducted at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, June 5, 2021, at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Sutton, NE with Father Michael Zimmer officiating. Military graveside services will follow at the Calvary Cemetery in Sutton, NE. In lieu of flowers, memorials in Roger's name may be made to the Sutton American Legion Post 61 Club, for building maintenance. Condolences may be left at www.suttonmemorial.com Any COVID-19 precautions in place at the time of the services will be followed. Services will be live-streamed from the St. Mary's Catholic Church website www.stmaryssutton.org In lieu of flowers, memorials in Roger's name may be made to the Sutton American Legion Post 61 Club, for building maintenance. Roger Joseph Sheridan was born on February 28, 1921, in Sutton, Nebraska, the first of seven children, to William Michael and Margaret Elizabeth (Hogan) Sheridan. Roger's Mother immigrated to American as a young woman from Whitegate, Ireland. Roger attended Sutton Public school, graduating in 1940 in a class of 64 students. He played with his high school basketball and football teams. Even more than his school lessons, Roger was interested in his Dad's business dealings. Roger and his brothers often were sent on trips to pick up items such as rubber tires in Kansas or combines for resell that had been bought out by a bank. Roger recalled that from around 1936-1940 his Dad sold carloads of the Allis Chalmers 37 WC tractor, which at the time was "ahead of its class"; it had a 3rd high gear that could harrow at 5 miles an hour, and Allis also had a 5 foot combine, all crop. After high school his father arranged for Roger to work in the Baltimore, Maryland shipyards, and live with the Charlie Livgren family, former Sutton residents. Roger plied his skill as a welder on Liberty ships. He told that "from the west coast to the east coast before and during WWII, 2,700 Liberty ships were made and launched." The Clay County draft board called Roger into service in WWII, in the U.S. Navy, northern Pacific. From May 1944 to May 1946, he was a Fireman 1st class, with the 3rd Fleet, aboard the U.S.S. Baltimore, CA-68 Heavy Cruiser. In his later years, when Roger played Keno at the Sutton American Legion Club, his standard selection was 68, the task force Roger belonged to, under the command of Fleet Admiral Halsey. The number often hit the jackpot. Roger and Betty McLaughlin were married on August 29, 1946, at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Sutton, just prior to Betty's graduation from St. Elizabeth's School of Nursing in Lincoln. As Betty and Roger raised seven children, he built two additions onto the family house, on their DLD farmstead just west of Sutton. Roger supported his seven children with piano lessons, band instruments, scouting, summer camps, and educational pursuits. Roger worked early on at William Sheridan and Sons, an Allis Chalmers farm machinery dealership at Sutton's Highway 6 and Saunders Ave. But the majority of his working life was spent as a grain farmer in the Sutton area. He was a 3rd generation farmer on the Sheridan homestead along the Clay and Fillmore County line. Rogers's three sons joined him at various stages in the farming operation. Roger and "brother Bill" built a pontoon, a product of their welding expertise and use of materials at hand, a boat that Roger's children thought was top of the line. They enjoyed Lake Lovewell if it rained and the irrigating could be left for a day. As a community member, Roger promoted a bond issue to build the current circular public school, and campaigned with his children in the early 1970's against the instillation of a nuclear dumpsite in Clay County. He scouted out a WWII cannon stored at the Navy Ammunition Depot near Hastings and worked with the Nebraska U.S. senator to get it moved to the Sutton City Part. He was part of a committee to complete the G.A.R. Civil War memorial at the City Park, with the placing of a union soldier statue on top of the granite cenotaph that was erected after the Civil War. Roger and Betty played bridge in the Sutton Marathon club for 4 decades. Roger supported Betty in her many community activities, such as Clay County Old Trusty Days. There for demonstration, Roger fed bundles of wheat into his Huber threshing machine. His own father had run a steam engine and threshing crew out of Trenton, Nebraska. His wife, Betty, the light around which he orbited, passed away in 2010. Roger said that he was a lucky man. Lucky in love, with his children, his farming career, and with good health, which brought him to just 10 days short of his 100th Birthday. The Luck of The Irish was with him. He is survived by his seven children, Trish (Paul) Simmering of Hastings; Elizabeth Sheridan Bartell and William Michael Sheridan of Sutton; Ellen Sheridan of Kansas City; Paul (April) Sheridan of Omaha; Philip Sheridan of Chicago; and Clare (John) Geiger of Kansas City; brother John (Barbara) Sheridan; sisters Ellie (Russ) Tershy, Regina Leininger and Peg O'Connell; sisters-in-law Jeanene McLaughlin Stevens and Donitta Schriner Sheridan; grandchildren Emily (Bob) Drake, Fritz (Ana) Bartell, Sylvia Bartell, Kerry (Andy) Deacon, Kate Sheridan, Laurel (Steve) Koltonski, Sean (Megan) Ekwall, Ruby Sheridan, Sam, Emma and Rachel Sheridan, J.T. (Emily) Foreman, Ella Sheridan, Grace, Madeline, Sophie, and George Geiger, Heather Frazier and Charissa Simmering; great grandchildren Georgia and Everett Drake, Thales VanKirk, Willa and Wesley Deacon, Milana Sheridan, Chaucer, Cullen and Cashel Frazier, Cece and Guillermo Consiglio. Roger is also survived by 54 nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Betty, Mother and Father-in-law Ruby and Gayle McLaughlin; brothers Thomas and Bill Sheridan; brothers-in-law Pat O'Connell, Max Leininger, and James Stevens; sisters-in-law Pat Wojick Sheridan and Gwen McLaughlin (Tom) Hurst; son-in-law Tom Bartell, and infant grandson Jack Geiger.

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Roger Joseph Sheridan

February 28, 1921 - February 18, 2021