Cecil and Dot Sherman receive a plaque at Cecil’s retirement celebration in 1996 at the conclusion of his tenure as coordinator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. CBF file photo
ATLANTA – Dorothy “Dot” Sherman, wife of Dr. Cecil Sherman, the founding coordinator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, passed away Aug. 1 in Richmond, Va., following a lengthy battle with Alzheimer’s disease. She was 90.
“All of the CBF family grieves the passing of Dot Sherman,” said Daniel Vestal, CBF executive coordinator. “Her quiet strength was endearing to everyone who knew her. We send our love to Cecil and their daughter, Genie.”
Cecil is currently undergoing treatment for acute leukemia at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. Memorial services will be at a future date to be determined by the family. Two memorial services will be planned, one for River Road Baptist Church in Richmond, Va., and one at First Baptist Church, Asheville, N.C. Dr. Bill Sherman, Cecil’s brother, will officiate both services.
A native of Spartanburg, S.C., Dorothy Hair Sherman earned a master’s in religious education from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and worked as an editor at the Sunday School Board in Nashville as well as Southwestern. She met Cecil in 1950, and the two were married Dec. 23, 1953, in Greer, S.C. Cecil and Dot have one daughter, Eugenia Sherman Brown of Madison, Wisc.
“Dot’s name is Dorothy. The name means ‘gift of God,’ and she has been that to me,” Cecil wrote in his recently released memoir, “By My Own Reckoning.”
Those wishing to express their care for Cecil and Eugenia can visit www.thefellowship.info/cecil and add their names to a letter that will be hand-delivered to Cecil the week of Aug. 4.
CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.