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Obituary

A head for business, a heart for family

SHEROD EUGENE DEWELL: 1928-2005. He had a successful career but put God and family first. Later, he enjoyed tending his groves.

By MARTY CLEAR
Published April 8, 2005

BEACH PARK - A photo in a Hawaiian newspaper changed Sherod Dewell's life.

Mr. Dewell was a young naval officer stationed at Pearl Harbor during the Korean War. One day a picture appeared in the local paper of a group of college students who had just arrived on the island for a few weeks of travel and study.

Some mutual acquaintances knew one of the girls and arranged for Mr. Dewell to go out with her.

"Oh, it was definitely love at first sight," said Penelope "Penny" Dewell, the young lady in the photo. "It was from the get-go. There was never any question about it."

They married in 1958 and stayed together until his death from lung cancer March 23 at age 76.

"Forty-eight years," Mrs. Dewell said. "And we would have made it longer if he had lived."

Mr. Dewell, who went by Gene, was born in Virginia Park and lived in Tampa nearly all his life. He left only for the military, college and brief stints working in St. Louis and Mobile, Ala. He had career opportunities elsewhere but always resisted. Florida, and Tampa in particular, kept him near.

"He had Florida sand in his shoes," his wife said.

The couple lived in Beach Park from 1959 on and raised three children, Douglas, Sherod Jr. and Leanora "Lyn." Mr. Dewell held degrees in engineering and business administration and worked for several local companies. He was instrumental in founding University Community Hospital and hired many members of the original administrative staff.

He spent the last 15 years of his career working for the hospital. He served in several positions, retiring in 1988 as vice president of fiscal affairs.

Mr. Dewell built a prominent career but always put his family and religion first. He was active in his children's lives and hobbies, including the Boy Scouts, serving as a Scoutmaster while his sons worked their way up to Eagle Scout.

"He was a good disciplinarian, but he wasn't super strict," his wife said. "I think the main thing was that we have a Christian background, so everything was tied to what would Jesus do and the Ten Commandments."

Mr. Dewell was an active member of Palma Ceia Presbyterian Church and served as a deacon.

After retiring, Mr. Dewell devoted a lot of time to tending groves of fruit trees near Lake Okeechobee. He traveled every few weeks to attend to his farms, where he grew oranges, bananas and plums.

"He had a green thumb," Mrs. Dewell said. "One time we went to Japan and they served us a plum on the plane. He saved the seed from his plum and planted it, and that tree is still there today. He could grow anything."

Mr. Dewell also loved fishing on Lake Okeechobee.

He was working on his farm in February when he suddenly felt ill and went to a local hospital. He was shocked when he was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer. He had quit smoking 20 years ago.

His condition was beyond the scope of the small hospital, so he was taken by helicopter to UCH, where he spent three weeks before dying at home.

"I'll miss him," Mrs. Dewell said. "You don't lose your best friend so suddenly without it leaving a void."

Besides his wife and children, Mr. Dewell is survived by six grandchildren, a sister and a brother.

[Last modified April 7, 2005, 08:55:10]