Weaverville – What do you say about someone so connected to a town that it’s hard to separate the two? About someone who never seemed like a politician but was a friend, a neighbor, a deeply trusted confidant—that was Dottie Sherill and more.
Dorothea “Dottie” Bradley Sherrill, 87, of Weaverville, passed away on Tuesday, September 19, 2023, and in the realm of politics, she was a rare gem. She was a former mayor and councilwoman, serving in elected office for 32 years, and transcended the offices she held to feel more like a cherished friend than a town leader, but a leader she was.
“I was elected to council in 1989 and served 32 consecutive years. I ran and was elected in nine elections. My first two terms were two years [each], and then council changed terms to be four years,” explained Sherrill in a 2021 interview with the Tribune when she retired from elected office. “I worked under Mayors Reese Lasher, Larry Sprinkle, Bett Stroud, Al Root, and Patrick Fitzsimmons. I was mayor from 2013 to 2017. I served as Vice Mayor all terms except my first and last ones and the one I was mayor.”
Now that she has passed on, her memory lives on in the hearts of those she served with unwavering warmth and compassion, the lives she touched, and the friends and family she leaves behind.
Just asked Weaverville Town Manager Selena Coffey about Dottie. “Dottie was mayor when town council hired me in 2015. From the beginning, I knew she was a special lady. She was a lover of people and was especially proud of the town’s employees. She led with compassion as mayor and councilwoman,” said Coffey.
“Her smile could light up a room, and her sense of humor brought laughter and joy. She could walk into my office and make a tough day feel lighter with her positivity and her ability to see the good in situations. She was one of my biggest supporters in my role as town manager and made no bones about it. I’ll never forget her support and encouragement.”
Coffey sums up knowing Dottie, explaining, “Although Mayor Dottie was who I first met in August 2015, my dear friend is who she became. There wasn’t a time when we saw each other that she didn’t tell me she missed and loved me, and the feeling was mutual. I will miss her terribly, but I feel so very blessed that she was in my life.”
“Dottie Sherrill is a Weaverville icon. She was someone everyone knew and liked. She has a townful of friends,” said the current mayor, Patrick Fitzsimmons, who is right on target with his comment about Sherrill. “Dottie is also the standard for public service in our region, having served as an elected official for over thirty years. Dottie will be greatly missed.”
Years of service as chairman of the Christmas Parade Committee is another way she served. Dottie had a knoll, not a community center named after her. Long after the community center is gone, the knoll will still be there, just as Dottie was for the town in so many ways.
Dale Pennell, Public Works Directer said of Sherrill, “Dottie was a favorite of everyone at the Public Works Department. She was always interested in our work and consistently expressed her genuine appreciation for our staff. We enjoyed working with her during Christmas Parade preparations, especially when she would come to our facility to inspect the decorations on Santa’s sleigh and check on our supply of candy for Santa to toss along the parade route. She was truly a treasure for the town and its citizens, and always had the best interest of the town in mind. She will be greatly missed, especially by the staff at Public Works.”
“Born on November 26, 1935, in Washington, DC, to the late Lucy Sheppard Bradley and Dr. Jeter Carroll Bradley, She moved to Weaverville with her parents in 1949,” says her obituary.
She was a very educated woman – “a graduate of Western Carolina University with B.S., M.A., and Ed.S. degrees, Dottie taught school in Caldwell, Haywood, Greenville, SC., Henderson, and retired as a school counselor from Asheville City Schools and Buncombe Schools.” Her obituary says, “She enjoyed gardening, sports, traveling, crafts, bridge, and being with her friends.”
I can’t remember ever being cross with Dottie in my two decades-plus covering news in Weaverville. I do remember Dottie being cross with me for something I had written, but that was to be expected.
“Preceding Dottie in death was her life-long companion, Dwight C. Sherrill (April 2018). Surviving are children: Lynne Sherrill Boring (Kenny) of Weaverville and Leslie Sherrill Slater (Tommy) of Jackson, TN.; four grandchildren: Jason Wyatt (Carrie), Brad Hughes, Adrienne Davis Hanocque (Clement), and Brianna Hughes Blevins (Ross); and six great-grandchildren: Ciara and Jacob Wyatt; Skylar, Cami and Thea Blevins, and Marcel Hanocque, and “adopted” grandson, Travis Bruce, says her obituary.
Sherrill’s “funeral service will be held at 11 am on Friday, September 29, in the Weaverville United Methodist Church of which she was a life-long member, having served on numerous committees, and was a member of the Matilda Dryman Circle. Rev. Richard Blount and Rev. Dr. Louis Grant will officiate. Burial will be in West Memorial Park.”
“The family will receive friends on Thursday, September 28 from 5:00 p.m. to 7 pm at West Funeral Home, 17 Merrimon Ave., Weaverville, NC 28787.
Memorials may be made to Weaverville United Methodist Church, PO Box 37, Weaverville, NC 28787. Condolences may be offered to the family under Dottie’s obituary at www.WestFamilyFuneralServices.com.”