HICKORY, N.C. – Harold Whittemore “Buddy” Sherrill, part of the Sherrill Furniture family, died March 24 at his home.
The son of the company’s founder – O.T. (Oscar Truman) Sherrill, who started the company in 1943, according to businessnc.com – Sherrill was dedicated to domestic manufacturing when much of the furniture manufacturing industry migrated en masse to Asia for several decades. Sherrill Furniture still manufactures in the Catawba Valley of North Carolina. Sherrill also brought cushion and cotton manufacturing, solid wood frame production and a shipping fleet in house to shorten the supply chain, a company statement said.
“After 73 years of consistent, steady and caring leadership, all of us at Sherrill Furniture Company have grown to love him deeply,” said Thad Monroe, president. “Buddy’s commitment to local craftspeople and willingness to invest in this community to keep case goods and upholstery manufacturing going strong is something that everyone in the furniture industry has benefitted from.”
“One thing my dad made sure I understood is that the responsibility of leading Sherrill Furniture is never just about the money,” said Charles Sherrill, CEO and senior vice president of product development and Buddy’s son. “If it were, then he could have sold the company many different times. This company is and will continue to be all about the people and the families who make this industry possible.”
Buddy Sherrill joined the Army Air Corps’ aviation cadet program after graduating from Hickory High School in 1943, according to businessnc.com. He reported for training in 1945, but the war soon ended. While he initially contemplated dentistry or watch repair, he eventually joined the family business after earning a degree in business administration and retailing from the University of South Carolina, the site added.
Besides his son Charles, Sherrill also has a son Whitt and daughter Ruth Ann.
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