Sherwin Lewis Glass, forever an architect
Sherwin Lewis Glass, 87, died Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018, at his home in Rehoboth Beach following a brief but pitched battle with cancer. He was born Oct. 30, 1931, and raised in New York, N.Y., the son of Harry and Sadie Glass. He was a longtime resident of Silver Spring, Md., and Vienna, Va., before moving in retirement to Rehoboth Beach.
After graduating from Coolidge High School in 1950, Sherwin attended Catholic University, graduating in 1958 with a bachelor’s degree in architecture, and in 1972 with a master’s degree in architecture and urban design. He spent 18 years working as an architect before the unpredictable currents of life carried him elsewhere in terms of employment. He spent the next 23 years working in service to the federal government before retiring in 1998.
In his heart, Sherwin was always an architect, and forever found joy in design and symmetry and esthetics, whether it meant whole building designs or simply the arrangement of the pictures on his wall or his master project of a wooden deck in his Springfield, Va. home.
A passionate learner who loved art and music, he discovered the joy of singing when he joined the Springfield Chorale at the age of 60, immersing himself in the art of choral music-making and gaining much enrichment from it. It should not be overlooked that, in his day, Sherwin was also quite the bowler, and in more than one shining moment scored a perfect game.
Sherwin’s life was deeply informed by his Jewish faith and heritage, but never dictated by it. He was never one for blind faith, but always remained deeply curious about the great questions of life and death and God. These contemplations colored his thoughts and actions nearly every day of his life. He was forever hopeful about the meaning of life, but relentlessly skeptical about whether any of man’s constructions of faith ever really touched the truth of it.
Sherwin found great freedom and solace in solitude. He was staunchly and, some would say, stubbornly independent. He was a loyal friend to many and loved both his natural and extended family with all his heart, but he was constantly renewed by retreat into quiet contemplation - at times alone, but for eight years in his later life with his devoted and beloved dog Mattie whose ashes will rest by his side in death just as she sat by his feet in life. He moved in time to Rehoboth Beach, where he and Mattie would walk and let the sights and sounds of the ocean affect them both in ways beyond the capacity of the mind to understand. It was there that he died, but now comes home to rest in Fairfax, Va.
Sherwin is survived by his daughter Leslie Kight of Columbia, Md.; his stepdaughter Elayne Humphrey of Fayetteville, N.C.; his stepson William Glass of Laguna Nigel, Calif.; and several grandchildren. He was predeceased by his beloved daughters, Melissa Glass and Marcie Glass Kelleher.
Service and burial will be held at King David Memorial Gardens in Falls Church, Va., Sunday, Dec. 16, at noon. For information call King David at 703-560-4400.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider donations to Delaware Hospice who provided exceptional and dedicated care in the final weeks of Sherwin’s life.
