Lenore Ruth Houghton

F, #80941, b. circa 1922
Father*Clarence William Houghton1 b. 5 Nov 1892
Mother*Pauline Ziehmer1 b. c 1897

Biography

Birthcirca 1922MI, USA, age 8 in 1930 census; age 17 in 1940 census1
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S1233] 1930 U.S. Federal Census , Detroit, Wayne Co., Michigan; Roll: 1054 Enumeration District: 538; sheet 8B; line 77, dwl 14169-102-20.

Leon Houghton1

M, #80942, b. circa 1924
Father*Clarence William Houghton1 b. 5 Nov 1892
Mother*Pauline Ziehmer1 b. c 1897

Biography

Birthcirca 1924MI, USA, age 6 in 1930 census; age 16 in 1940 census1
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S1233] 1930 U.S. Federal Census , Detroit, Wayne Co., Michigan; Roll: 1054 Enumeration District: 538; sheet 8B; line 77, dwl 14169-102-20.

Geary Feagans1

M, #80943, b. 29 September 1889

Biography

BirthSep 29, 18892
Marriage1

Family

Cora Marion Skelton b. 13 Mar 1887, d. 25 Apr 1968
Marriage*Geary Feagans married Cora Marion Skelton, daughter of Durance Joseph Skelton and Alice O'Lena Beattie.1 
Children
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S36] Letter, from Carole Pyles, Apr 22, 2005.
  2. [S36] Letter, from Carole Pyles, Apr 22, 2005: based on document by Robert B. Skelton.

Dorothy Jane Feagans1

F, #80944, b. 22 May 1917, d. March 2002
Father*Geary Feagans1 b. 29 Sep 1889
Mother*Cora Marion Skelton1 b. 13 Mar 1887, d. 25 Apr 1968

Biography

BirthMay 22, 19171
Marriage1
DeathMar, 20022

Family

Floyd Shellenberger b. 27 Jul 1911, d. Sep 1992
Marriage*Dorothy Jane Feagans married Floyd Shellenberger.1 
Child
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S36] Letter, from Carole Pyles, Apr 22, 2005.
  2. [S36] Letter, from Carole Pyles, Apr 22, 2005: based on document by Robert B. Skelton.

Floyd Shellenberger1

M, #80945, b. 27 July 1911, d. September 1992

Biography

BirthJul 27, 19112
Marriage1
DeathSep, 19922

Family

Dorothy Jane Feagans b. 22 May 1917, d. Mar 2002
Marriage*Floyd Shellenberger married Dorothy Jane Feagans, daughter of Geary Feagans and Cora Marion Skelton.1 
Child
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S36] Letter, from Carole Pyles, Apr 22, 2005.
  2. [S36] Letter, from Carole Pyles, Apr 22, 2005: based on document by Robert B. Skelton.

Carole Marion Shellenberger1

F, #80946, b. 1 December 1941
Father*Floyd Shellenberger1 b. 27 Jul 1911, d. Sep 1992
Mother*Dorothy Jane Feagans1 b. 22 May 1917, d. Mar 2002

Biography

BirthDec 1, 19411
Marriage19661

Family

Sherrell Pyles b. 11 Sep 1931, d. 8 Apr 2021
Marriage*Carole Marion Shellenberger married Sherrell Pyles on 1966.1 
Children
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S36] Letter, from Carole Pyles, Apr 22, 2005.
  2. [S36] Letter, from Carole Pyles, Apr 22, 2005: based on document by Robert B. Skelton.

Sherrell Pyles1

M, #80947, b. 11 September 1931, d. 8 April 2021

Biography

BirthSep 11, 1931near, Medon, TN, USA2
Marriage19661
DeathApr 8, 2021
ObituaryApr, 2021Sherrell Crittendon Pyles was born Friday, 11 September 1931, at home near Medon, Tennessee. His parents were Dessie Adele Pyles (née Frye) and Riley Fulton Pyles. He joined two older sisters, Lillian and Ruth, and older brother Wilfred, and soon, younger brother, Charles. During his high school years he lived with Ruth and brother-in-law Kenneth Stevens in nearby Bolivar, Tennessee. Sherrell was hired by the local grocer’s family to care for their lawn and plants. He also took telephone orders and delivered groceries throughout the neighborhood, driving the grocer’s truck; and although he had no license, he taught himself.

One sweltering day in 1950 he was chopping sorghum canes at the family farm. He was sweaty and tired when his cousin Earl drove up and asked Sherrell to come with him to join the U.S. Air Force. Sherrell stopped chopping immediately and his mother sat down and cried. Sherrell and his cousin were on a train that evening bound for Wichita Falls, Texas. At Sheppard Air Force Base he was told he had two left feet and he believed he did! His first assignment was in Smyrna, Tennessee and he took a bus home on weekends. However, this changed when his entire outfit was transferred to Morocco.

His job was jeep driver for the commander and performed radar operations on the B-36 Peacemaker. On Sherrell’s off-duty time he filled a barrel with ice and chilled bottled soft drinks to sell and ran the projector showing films to the Airmen. After hours he played poker. He sent all his soda profits and poker winnings via postal money order to his mother.

Upon return to the states he was stationed for a short time in North Carolina. Then he went overseas to Naples, Italy and then Upper Heyford, England. Sometime later he was transferred to Hamilton Air Force Base, California where he worked in Personnel. During an inspection, the Headquarters Inspector General team was so impressed with him that they immediately placed him on their team! And off duty he was the base theater manager.

New to the Air Force and to Hamilton was 2nd Lieutenant Carole Shellenberger who had the additional duty as Theater Officer. Sherrell was not happy with having a female officer appointed over him. However, he soon changed his mind and asked Carole to take a scenic drive with him through the Muir Woods. From then on, they became inseparable. On 16 July 1966 they were married in the base chapel.

They were soon both transferred to the Washington D.C. area. Carole was at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland and Sherrell at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. He was in the 1127th Field Activities Group, a classified organization. He was the individual, known as “Super Personnel Manager of the Air Force” charged with installing and operating the new Burroughs 3500 Computing System. In his off-duty time, he and Carole dug and found hundreds of antique bottles.

In 1970 they were assigned to Germany, Carole at Frankfurt and Sherrell at Rhein-Main Air Base. There at the Air Force Hospital at Wiesbaden he had two boys born, one in 1971 and the other in 1975. At Rhein-Main he was twice named the Senior Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year. And then he moved south to Ramstein Air Base in the Kaiserslautern area. He worked for a short time in Personnel before being hired by the Base Commander to be the Ramstein’s first-ever Base Sergeant Major. Two of his commanders were former Vietnam Prisoners of War who spent time in the “Hanoi Hilton”, another was a SR-71 Blackbird pilot who overflew the Soviet missile buildup in Cuba. All commanders totally respected Sherrell’s unique level of expertise. He provided solutions to anything from placing state flags to finance to plane crashes. He retired in 1985 in a ceremony presided over by the Headquarters United States Air Force Europe Commander in Chief, General Charles Donnelly.

During a mandatory post-retirement hiatus, he transformed Woodlawn golf course into a premier base facility. Then as a civil service federal employee, working as the base finance manager, he took on a myriad of “extra” responsibilities, which included counseling dependent children. He turned many offenders into changed positive personalities. He was ever revisited and thanked by those he’d helped. In 1997, Carole took employment in the Joint Analysis Center in England. Sherrell retired from civil service as a GS-12 and joined her. They immensely appreciated England and Scotland. One facet was they became bird enthusiasts, beginning with exposure to Swan migrations to Welney Reserve.

In 2005 they sailed on the Queen Mary to New York, which culminated 35 years living in Europe, and then road Amtrak to San Antonio, Texas. They had purchased a house on the former Rogers Ranch. They took road trips across the United States and cruised to countless world destinations. In Texas itself, the Hill Country was special with its blue bonnets and Indian paint brushes.

Sherrell lived a good life with wonderful and unique experiences. He had a wide host of dear friends, many who are United States Air Force colleagues. And in his words when he retired from active duty, “Thank you for being here with me on this special occasion [as I retire from life on earth]. I have seen the bad times and the good times. I am proud to have been a part of making life better for all Americans. Thank you for carrying on the tradition of service. I wish you the best of luck with your lives. God Bless.”

Sherrell is survived by his wife Carole, his son Riley (Colonel, U.S. Air Force), and daughter-in-law Christina, and grandsons Connor and Logan.

Family

Carole Marion Shellenberger b. 1 Dec 1941
Marriage*Sherrell Pyles married Carole Marion Shellenberger, daughter of Floyd Shellenberger and Dorothy Jane Feagans, on 1966.1 
Children
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S36] Letter, from Carole Pyles, Apr 22, 2005.
  2. [S36] Letter, from Carole Pyles, Apr 22, 2005: based on document by Robert B. Skelton.

George Hawkins1

M, #80948

Biography

Marriage1

Family

Lydia Luther b. 26 Jul 1847
Marriage*George Hawkins married Lydia Luther, daughter of John Martin Luther and Maria Ann Houghton.1 
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S36] Letter, from Carole Pyles, Apr 22, 2005.

William Ezra Skelton1

M, #80949, b. 12 September 1891, d. 1938
Father*Durance Joseph Skelton1 b. 8 Jun 1861, d. 20 Feb 1956
Mother*Alice O'Lena Beattie1 b. 29 Oct 1865, d. Oct 1941

Biography

BirthSep 12, 1891William's Twp, MI, USA1
Marriage1
Death19381

Family

Ethel Rice
Marriage*William Ezra Skelton married Ethel Rice.1 
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S36] Letter, from Carole Pyles, Apr 22, 2005: based on document by Robert B. Skelton.

Art Horn1

M, #80950
Mother*Agnes Wilson Horn1 b. 1854

Biography

Birth1
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S36] Letter, from Carole Pyles, Apr 22, 2005: based on document by Robert B. Skelton.

Fred Horn1

M, #80951
Mother*Agnes Wilson Horn1 b. 1854

Biography

Birth1
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S36] Letter, from Carole Pyles, Apr 22, 2005: based on document by Robert B. Skelton.

Luella Mearl Pike1

F, #80952, b. 8 May 1881, d. 4 May 1928

Biography

BirthMay 8, 18811
Marriage1
DeathMay 4, 19281

Family

Melvin Edward Skelton b. 3 Apr 1881, d. 10 Sep 1938
Marriage*Luella Mearl Pike married Melvin Edward Skelton, son of James Franklin Skelton and Agnes Wilson Horn.1 
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S36] Letter, from Carole Pyles, Apr 22, 2005: based on document by Robert B. Skelton.

Irene Harriet Richardson1

F, #80953, b. 1887, d. 1941

Biography

Birth18871
Marriage1
Death19411

Family

Glenn Beattie Skelton b. 9 Sep 1885, d. 30 Jun 1977
Marriage*Irene Harriet Richardson married Glenn Beattie Skelton, son of Durance Joseph Skelton and Alice O'Lena Beattie.1 
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S36] Letter, from Carole Pyles, Apr 22, 2005: based on document by Robert B. Skelton.

Raymond Geary Feagans1

M, #80954, b. 6 April 1913
Father*Geary Feagans1 b. 29 Sep 1889
Mother*Cora Marion Skelton1 b. 13 Mar 1887, d. 25 Apr 1968

Biography

BirthApr 6, 19131
Marriage1

Family

Katherine Fisler
Marriage*Raymond Geary Feagans married Katherine Fisler.1 
Child
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S36] Letter, from Carole Pyles, Apr 22, 2005: based on document by Robert B. Skelton.

Katherine Fisler1

F, #80955

Biography

Marriage1

Family

Raymond Geary Feagans b. 6 Apr 1913
Marriage*Katherine Fisler married Raymond Geary Feagans, son of Geary Feagans and Cora Marion Skelton.1 
Child
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S36] Letter, from Carole Pyles, Apr 22, 2005: based on document by Robert B. Skelton.

Raymond John Feagans1

M, #80956
Father*Raymond Geary Feagans1 b. 6 Apr 1913
Mother*Katherine Fisler1

Biography

Birth1
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S36] Letter, from Carole Pyles, Apr 22, 2005: based on document by Robert B. Skelton.

Riley Floyd Pyles1

M, #80957, b. 11 November 1971
Father*Sherrell Pyles1 b. 11 Sep 1931, d. 8 Apr 2021
Mother*Carole Marion Shellenberger1 b. 1 Dec 1941

Biography

BirthNov 11, 19711
Marriage1
Mil. EnlsUS Air Force; Colonel

Family

Christine Smock b. 3 Jul 1973
Marriage*Riley Floyd Pyles married Christine Smock.1 
Child
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S36] Letter, from Carole Pyles, Apr 22, 2005: based on document by Robert B. Skelton.

Geary W. Pyles1

M, #80958, b. 9 May 1975
Father*Sherrell Pyles1 b. 11 Sep 1931, d. 8 Apr 2021
Mother*Carole Marion Shellenberger1 b. 1 Dec 1941

Biography

BirthMay 9, 19751
Marriage1

Family

Stacey Scherer b. Jul 1966
Marriage*Geary W. Pyles married Stacey Scherer.1 
Child
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S36] Letter, from Carole Pyles, Apr 22, 2005: based on document by Robert B. Skelton.

Ruth Hill1

F, #80959

Biography

Marriage1

Family

George Duranca Skelton b. 27 Jul 1888, d. 30 Nov 1970
Marriage*Ruth Hill married George Duranca Skelton, son of Durance Joseph Skelton and Alice O'Lena Beattie.1 
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S36] Letter, from Carole Pyles, Apr 22, 2005: based on document by Robert B. Skelton.

Ethel Rice1

F, #80960

Biography

Marriage1

Family

William Ezra Skelton b. 12 Sep 1891, d. 1938
Marriage*Ethel Rice married William Ezra Skelton, son of Durance Joseph Skelton and Alice O'Lena Beattie.1 
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S36] Letter, from Carole Pyles, Apr 22, 2005: based on document by Robert B. Skelton.

Christine Smock1

F, #80961, b. 3 July 1973

Biography

BirthJul 3, 19731
Marriage1

Family

Riley Floyd Pyles b. 11 Nov 1971
Marriage*Christine Smock married Riley Floyd Pyles, son of Sherrell Pyles and Carole Marion Shellenberger.1 
Child
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S36] Letter, from Carole Pyles, Apr 22, 2005: based on document by Robert B. Skelton.

Connor Riley Pyles1

M, #80962, b. 19 February 2004
Father*Riley Floyd Pyles1 b. 11 Nov 1971
Mother*Christine Smock1 b. 3 Jul 1973

Biography

BirthFeb 19, 20041
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S36] Letter, from Carole Pyles, Apr 22, 2005: based on document by Robert B. Skelton.

Stacey Scherer1,2

F, #80963, b. July 1966

Biography

BirthJul, 19661
Marriage1

Family

Geary W. Pyles b. 9 May 1975
Marriage*Stacey Scherer married Geary W. Pyles, son of Sherrell Pyles and Carole Marion Shellenberger.1 
Child
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S36] Letter, from Carole Pyles, Apr 22, 2005: based on document by Robert B. Skelton.
  2. [S415] E-mail from Carole Pyles, Jan 2006.

Sydney Harper Pyles1

F, #80964, b. 1 December 2001
Father*Geary W. Pyles1 b. 9 May 1975
Mother*Stacey Scherer1 b. Jul 1966

Biography

BirthDec 1, 20011
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S36] Letter, from Carole Pyles, Apr 22, 2005: based on document by Robert B. Skelton.

Alfred E. Skelton1

M, #80965, b. 10 April 1896
Father*Durance Joseph Skelton1 b. 8 Jun 1861, d. 20 Feb 1956
Mother*Alice O'Lena Beattie1 b. 29 Oct 1865, d. Oct 1941

Biography

BirthApr 10, 18961
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S36] Letter, from Carole Pyles, Apr 22, 2005: based on document by Robert B. Skelton.

Wynn Leland Skelton1

M, #80966, b. 19 February 1898, d. 1948
Father*Durance Joseph Skelton1 b. 8 Jun 1861, d. 20 Feb 1956
Mother*Alice O'Lena Beattie1 b. 29 Oct 1865, d. Oct 1941

Biography

BirthFeb 19, 18981
Death19481
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S36] Letter, from Carole Pyles, Apr 22, 2005: based on document by Robert B. Skelton.

Norman Beattie Skelton1

M, #80967, b. 20 January 1900
Father*Durance Joseph Skelton1 b. 8 Jun 1861, d. 20 Feb 1956
Mother*Alice O'Lena Beattie1 b. 29 Oct 1865, d. Oct 1941

Biography

BirthJan 20, 19001
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S36] Letter, from Carole Pyles, Apr 22, 2005: based on document by Robert B. Skelton.

Harris Roland Skelton1

M, #80968, b. 25 August 1905, d. 1942
Father*Durance Joseph Skelton1 b. 8 Jun 1861, d. 20 Feb 1956
Mother*Alice O'Lena Beattie1 b. 29 Oct 1865, d. Oct 1941

Biography

BirthAug 25, 19051
Death19421
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S36] Letter, from Carole Pyles, Apr 22, 2005: based on document by Robert B. Skelton.

William Houghton1

M, #80969, b. circa 1900

Biography

Birthcirca 1900England, age 30 in 1930 census; age 40 in 1940 census1
Marriagecirca 1924age 24 and 231
1930 Census1930Detroit, Wayne Co., MI, USA, age 30, auto factory shipping clerk1
1940 Census1940Detroit, Wayne Co., MI, USA, age 40, automobile factory shipping clerk2

Family

Alice (?) b. c 1901
Marriage*William Houghton married Alice (?) on circa 1924 age 24 and 23.1 
Child
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S1233] 1930 U.S. Federal Census , Detroit, Wayne Co., Michigan; Roll: 1054 Enumeration District: 539; sheet 66B; line 66, dwl 8637-1010-14.
  2. [S1479] 1940 U.S. Federal Census , Detroit, Wayne, Michigan; Roll: T627_1870; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 84-1022; line 6, dwl 8637.

Alice (?)1

F, #80970, b. circa 1901

Biography

Birthcirca 1901England, age 29 in 1930 census; age 38 in 1940 census1
Marriagecirca 1924age 24 and 231
1930 Census1930Detroit, Wayne Co., MI, USA, age 30, auto factory shipping clerk1
1940 Census1940Detroit, Wayne Co., MI, USA, age 40, automobile factory shipping clerk2

Family

William Houghton b. c 1900
Marriage*Alice (?) married William Houghton on circa 1924 age 24 and 23.1 
Child
Pedigree

Citations

  1. [S1233] 1930 U.S. Federal Census , Detroit, Wayne Co., Michigan; Roll: 1054 Enumeration District: 539; sheet 66B; line 66, dwl 8637-1010-14.
  2. [S1479] 1940 U.S. Federal Census , Detroit, Wayne, Michigan; Roll: T627_1870; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 84-1022; line 6, dwl 8637.