Joseph Sherman

AIKEN, SC - With great sadness we note the passing of Joe Sherman, 82, loving husband, brother, father, and friend.  Joe passed in his sleep on August 24 after a long illness. 

Joe was born in Brooklyn, NY, on August 4, 1938, to parents Eddie and Ethel.  He was a proud graduate of Erasmus Hall High School and The Citadel, where he earned a degree in civil engineering.  While attending college, Joe met Evelyn Benedek of Richmond, VA, on a blind date, and the two were married in NYC in 1961.

 After graduation, Joe entered the US Air Force, and while stationed in Waco, TX, his son, Greg, was born in 1963. The family moved to Baltimore and then the D.C. area, finally settling in Alexandria, where daughter Terri was born in 1967.

Joe began his long and distinguished career, with the National Association of Homebuilders research foundation, responsible for the development and testing of new and improved methods and materials relating to building construction.  In 1969, he established the Office of Energy, Technology, and Building Standards at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. As Director of the office, Joe was the principal negotiator with Congress on many bills relating to energy and housing.  The office’s Programs covered areas as diverse as the introduction of industrialization to housing construction, solar heating and cooling of buildings, energy budgets for buildings, the reform of building codes and standards, and construction technologies and techniques for lower housing costs.

While at HUD, Joe became a nationally recognized expert in housing and was often quoted in housing publications.  He became one of the youngest members of the Senior Executive Service, and was proud of his many honors and accomplishments, including his profile in the New York Times and winning the Distinguished Service Award, the highest award given by a Cabinet Agency.

Evelyn’s untimely death in 1982, left Joe a single parent raising a teenage daughter.  He rediscovered a love for gourmet cooking, which became a lifelong passion.  When Joe retired from HUD in 1989, he launched a new career, putting his engineering background to work as a home inspector.  In 1988, Joe met Karen Kraemer, and the two were married in Alexandria, Va. in1993.  They were blessed with granddaughter Coleen that same year, and grandson Connor in 1998. 

Joe and Karen had a great life in Alexandria, filled with friends and entertaining and fun.  But before long the couple decided they wanted a less hectic pace, and after a long search they found the city of Aiken, SC.  They fell in love with the small town’s Southern charm and began designing and building their dream home (with a dream kitchen!).  In Aiken, Joe reignited his passion for golf, and he and Karen often entertained their growing circle of friends, inviting them to watch the master of the kitchen at his craft. Joseph never met a stranger, was larger than life with a notorious sense of humor.  He was a special individual who was warm, kind, funny, and knew how to enjoy life. 

Joe leaves behind his beloved wife Karen, his children, son, Greg and wife, Linda, his daughter, Terri, grandchildren Coleen and Connor, his sister Ina and husband, Allen, and countless friends – Joe Sherman will be truly missed by all who knew him.

A Celebration of his life will be announced at a later date.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The American College of Cardiology or The American Heart Association.

SHELLHOUSE – RIVERS FUNERAL HOME, 715 EAST PINE LOG RD., AIKEN, SC