The Sun Journal lost a venerable reporter when Steve Sherlock died on Sunday. A Lisbon native and high school track athlete there, he joined our sports department in the '80s and later moved to the news department to report on our communities.
His passing was unexpected. It's always especially tough when someone is here today and suddenly gone.
I didn't know Steve super well. We met in a group discussion via Zoom five years ago at the height of the pandemic, soon after I'd joined the SJ. When Steve told me his last name I said, "Hey, cool ... like Sherlock Holmes."
("Oy. Did I really say that?" I immediately thought.)
I'm not sure he was that amused; he'd probably heard that comparison once or twice in the past six decades. But he smiled quietly and nodded.
Steve's quiet demeanor is one thing you'll see mentioned a lot in stories and tributes to him. I got to know him better as editor of the SJ's Opinion section; when Executive Editor Judy Meyer was on vacation, she'd ask Steve to give final reads and approvals to letters.
I enjoyed working with him; he was quick, reliable and thorough. Knowing he already had a lot on his plate, I'd always blend my gratitude to him with an apology when I saw him at the office.
He'd look up from his desk with that quiet smile and say, "No problem."
Steve's soft but steady nature is how I suspect many of us will best remember him.
As always, I encourage you to email me with submissions about upcoming events or other community contributions to be included in this newsletter.
Thanks for reading. Until next time, - Alex Lear |
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| LOCAL NEWS |
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Half of an Italian sandwich made with schiacciata bread is ready to eat Tuesday at Mancini’s Italian Deli at 5 Park St. in Lewiston. It contains genoa and soppressata salamis, mortadella sausage with pistachios, provolone cheese, garlic aioli, hot cherry pepper spread, heirloom tomatoes, red onion, shredded romaine and Rock Mountain Farms pickles. (Russ Dillingham/Staff Photographer)
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I'm as sad as can be about the recent passing of longtime Sun Journal reporter Steve Sherlock.
Sherlock was one of those great old-time reporters who got along well with everyone and could recall a little bit about everything he'd seen over the course of his 40-year career.
He was a good reporter and a good man, was Steve Sherlock, but the thing I'll miss most about him is our regular meetings at the grocery stores.
The grocery store thing happened so frequently and for so long, it got more than a little bit spooky.
Every single time I'd pop in to Shaw's for one thing or another — and I mean EVERY SINGLE TIME — I'd run into Steve Sherlock doing the same thing.
The first four or five times it happened, it was nothing much at all; just a little joke between us.
"Hey," I'd say to him, as we passed in the chip aisle. "Am I stalking you or are you stalking me?"
I'd laugh, he'd laugh and then we'd both go on our way. But then a year went by. Then three years and then five, and we were STILL running into each other in the aisles every other day.
After a point, we ran out of jokes to make about it. I'd bump into him rounding a corner headed toward the dairy section and we'd both just shake our heads.
"This is getting a little weird," I said to him one time.
"It is," he agreed. "It really is."
Then he'd laugh in that quiet way he had and that would be that until our next meeting in the bread aisle or over in produce.
For a very long while, I'm going to think about Steve Sherlock every time I make a dash for coffee or cheese or cat food. He was one of those guys who had been here for so long and who was so great to know, you just go ahead and assume that he'll be around forever.
If only that could have been so. |
Send feedback to Mark | Read his columns on sunjournal.com |
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| COMMUNITY VOICES/AROUND TOWN |
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The Maine Historical Fiction Book Group meets at the Lewiston Public Library, 200 Lisbon St., from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 26. The group, a partnership of the Auburn and Lewiston libraries and Androscoggin Historical Society, will read "Stories from the Old Squire’s Farm" (chapters 1-17) by C.A. Stephens. Participants will be expected to obtain a copy of the book independently. Learn more.
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| THINGS TO DO IN LEWISTON |
"Let it Snow!," a free painting class for ages 7 to 14, will take place at the Lewiston Public Library today at 11 a.m. Get more info. Dueling Pianos, featuring two pianists battling through high-energy songs, requests and playful banter, will take place at the Franco Center's downstairs lounge and bar tonight at 7 p.m. Get tickets. The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 27, at the Fortin & Pinette Funeral Home, 305 Alfred A Plourde Parkway. Get more info. "Still," a play about lost love being rekindled decades later, takes the stage at the Public Theatre, 31 Maple St., from Friday, Jan. 30, through Sunday, Feb. 8. Playwright Lia Romeo will join the Sunday, Feb. 1, post-show discussion. Learn more and get tickets.
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| VISIT OUR EVENTS CALENDAR
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| THE WAY IT WAS IN LEWISTON |
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Jan. 24, 1986: “Twelve-year-old Rodney Gendron's dream is to attend the University of California at Los Angeles and become a lawyer, but only after he represents the United States in the 1992 Olympics.
“According to his coach and trainer, Don White of Andy Valley Olympic School of Gymnastics, it's a possibility.”
Click here to read more of this story from 1986, and then check out this 2015 article to see what became of the Lewiston boy. Subscribers enjoy exclusive access to search and browse our digital archives on Newspapers.com.
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Alex Lear is a lifelong Mainer who has spent about 25 years in journalism, the first 20 as a reporter for newspapers in Damariscotta and Falmouth, and the rest as the Opinions section editor for the Sun Journal. His long-running “Learics” column won first place in the Maine Press Association’s 2023 Better Newspaper Contest. He and his wife Lauren are kept young by their 8-year-old daughter Alaina. Send feedback and suggestions to Alex. You can support this newsletter by encouraging friends and family to subscribe here. Read more news at sunjournal.com.
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