John (Jack) Huntley Sheer, 99, died Thursday, Feb. 16, 2012, in Southern Pines, with his family by his side.
A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 22, at the St. Thomas Episcopal Church, 312 North Steele St., Sanford, followed by a reception at the same location.
He was born Oct. 27, 1912, in Brooklyn, N.Y., to Louis and Ann Sheer. His mother, Ann, passed away when he was 2, and he was raised mostly by his aunt (Betty). Jack graduated from Erasmus High School in New York. He went to work on Wall Street as an office boy and began playing the guitar and banjo. He escaped the 1929 economic crash by moving and enrolling in the University of Alabama studying dentistry. He supported himself by playing guitar in a restaurant near campus.
He returned to New York and began his music career playing various jobs in New York and Pittsburgh. He later formed a 10-piece big band and began playing at the Maryland Club Gardens outside Washington, D.C.
At 30 he was drafted into the military, transferred to officer’s school, and ended up studying electronics at Yale University, where he graduated as a second lieutenant. He served primarily in Africa and India during World War II. After the war, Jack met Josephine (Jo) Sheer. They were married three months later and remained married for 63 years. Jack then joined the military reserves, was drafted into the Korean conflict, became a captain and served in Seoul, Korea.
After the wars he went to work in Washington, D.C. and then moved to Sanford to become sales manager for the Sanford Furniture Company. He later started Lee Crafts Furniture in Sanford and became a board member for the Southern Furniture Manufactures Association. Later he became a sales and marketing consultant for numerous furniture manufacturers while playing guitar at the Country Club of North Carolina.
Mr. Sheer is survived by his wife, Jo Sheer; sons Jeff and his wife, Linda, and Joel Sheer; granddaughter Catherine Sheer; sister Kitty Tepper; and half-sister Marion Hurwitz. He was preceded in death by his brother, Albert Sheer.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the church’s St. Thomas Memorial Fund. Online condolences may be made at www.Pines Funerals.com.
Powell Funeral Home and Crematory in Southern Pines is serving the Sheer family.