Lenore Ruth Houghton

F, #80941, b. 2 February 1923, d. 8 September 2018

Biography

A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
Corresponded with author?
BirthFeb 2, 1923MI, USA, age 8 in 1930 census; age 17 in 1940 census1
1950 US Census1950Detroit, MI, USA, age 27, single, lodger, insurance co. clerk
DeathSep 8, 2018MI, USA
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

Biography

A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
Corresponded with author?
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

Family: Cora Marion Skelton b. 13 Mar 1887, d. 25 Apr 1968

Biography

Corresponded with author?
A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
BirthSep 29, 18892
Marriage1
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

Family: Floyd Shellenberger b. 27 Jul 1911, d. Sep 1992

Biography

Corresponded with author?
A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
BirthMay 22, 19171
Marriage1
DeathMar, 20022
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

Family: Dorothy Jane Feagans b. 22 May 1917, d. Mar 2002

Biography

A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
Corresponded with author?
BirthJul 27, 19112
Marriage1
DeathSep, 19922
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

Family: Sherrell Pyles b. 11 Sep 1931, d. 8 Apr 2021

Biography

Corresponded with authorY
A Contributor to Houghton Surname ProjectY
BirthDec 1, 19411
Marriage19661
Residencebetween 1997 and 2005England
AddressApr 22, 2005PSC 46 Box 4, APO, AE, USA1
Living2021
Contributn
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

Family: Carole Marion Shellenberger b. 1 Dec 1941

Biography

A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
Corresponded with author?
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.
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

Family: Lydia Luther b. 26 Jul 1847

Biography

A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
Corresponded with author?
Marriage1
Pedigree

Citations

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

William Ezra Skelton1

M, #80949, b. 12 September 1891, d. 1938

Family: Ethel Rice

Biography

Corresponded with author?
A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
BirthSep 12, 1891William's Twp, MI, USA1
Marriage1
Death19381
Pedigree

Citations

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

Art Horn1

M, #80950

Biography

A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
Corresponded with author?
Birth1
Pedigree

Citations

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

Fred Horn1

M, #80951

Biography

A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
Corresponded with author?
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

Family: Melvin Edward Skelton b. 3 Apr 1881, d. 10 Sep 1938

Biography

A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
Corresponded with author?
BirthMay 8, 18811
Marriage1
DeathMay 4, 19281
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

Family: Glenn Beattie Skelton b. 9 Sep 1885, d. 30 Jun 1977

Biography

A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
Corresponded with author?
Birth18871
Marriage1
Death19411
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

Family: Katherine Fisler

Biography

Corresponded with author?
A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
BirthApr 6, 19131
Marriage1
Pedigree

Citations

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

Katherine Fisler1

F, #80955

Family: Raymond Geary Feagans b. 6 Apr 1913

Biography

Corresponded with author?
A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
Marriage1
Pedigree

Citations

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

Raymond John Feagans1

M, #80956

Biography

A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
Corresponded with author?
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

Family: Christine Smock b. 3 Jul 1973

Biography

A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
Corresponded with author?
BirthNov 11, 19711
Marriage1
Mil. EnlsUS Air Force; Colonel
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

Family: Stacey Scherer b. Jul 1966

Biography

Corresponded with author?
A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
BirthMay 9, 19751
Marriage1
Pedigree

Citations

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

Ruth Hill1

F, #80959

Family: George Duranca Skelton b. 27 Jul 1888, d. 30 Nov 1970

Biography

Corresponded with author?
A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
Marriage1
Pedigree

Citations

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

Ethel Rice1

F, #80960

Family: William Ezra Skelton b. 12 Sep 1891, d. 1938

Biography

Corresponded with author?
A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
Marriage1
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

Family: Riley Floyd Pyles b. 11 Nov 1971

Biography

Corresponded with author?
A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
BirthJul 3, 19731
Marriage1
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

Biography

A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
Corresponded with author?
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

Family: Geary W. Pyles b. 9 May 1975

Biography

Corresponded with author?
A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
BirthJul, 19661
Marriage1
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

Biography

A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
Corresponded with author?
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

Biography

A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
Corresponded with author?
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

Biography

Corresponded with author?
A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
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

Biography

A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
Corresponded with author?
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

Biography

Corresponded with author?
A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
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

Family: Alice (?) b. c 1901

  • Marriage*: William Houghton married Alice (?) on circa 1924 age 24 and 23.1

Biography

Corresponded with author?
A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
Birthcirca 1900England, age 30 in 1930 census; age 40 in 1940 census1
Immigration19231
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
ParentsSparents born in England1
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

Family: William Houghton b. c 1900

Biography

A Contributor to Houghton Surname Project?
Corresponded with author?
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
ParentsDparents born in England1
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.