Marvin Lester “Dick” Sherman, Missoula, Montana
LOCATION: The National Smokejumper Association hosted the Mann Gulch 75th Anniversary Memorial Tribute for Marvin “Dick” Sherman, 21, at the Lone Pine Cemetery in Darby, Montana, on August 10, 2024. Sherman died on August 5, 1949, along with twelve other Missoula smokejumpers in the Mann Gulch Fire. James Harrison was formerly a Missoula smokejumper but was a fireguard at Meriwether Campground when he died.
Site Coordinator: Jeff Kinderman (MSO 75)
Pictured: Lawrence Smith, nephew of Marvin Sherman. He is a retired Forest Service Ranger who just published a book on Fire Lines and Trap Lines, that features a chapter on the Mann Gulch fire. Lawrence hiked up Mann Gulch with NSA President Mike Bina.
BIOGRAPHY: Marvin, who went by the name “Dick,” was born January 25, 1928, in Missoula, Montana to George and Rene Sherman. He had a brother named Jack. At the time of his death, he was engaged to marry his girlfriend, Mary Ellen. Dick grew up and worked in the Lolo District of the Lolo National Forest. He worked as a fire lookout on Mormon Peak. He served in the US Navy from 1945 to 1947 aboard the USS Bremerton as a Seaman Storekeeper. The USS Bremerton was a Baltimore-class heavy Cruiser that operated in Asian waters during the war. Dick joined the Smokejumpers in Missoula in 1949. He was well-liked and was known by his friends and family as a hard worker who loved working in the woods.
Ray Belston, Dick’s cousin, wrote the following about him. “Dick was not only my cousin, but he was also my buddy and my friend. Many a day we spent along the streams fishing together in Big Hole and Bitterroot Valley. For many hours, we worked together in the hay and grain fields, breaking a horse, branding a calf, or on the Bitterroot, trapping the mink and muskrat together. I also spent many hours with Dick at the lookout above Lolo when he worked for the Forest Service.” “Dick, as I knew him, was a very dedicated person to his family, friends, the military, and the US Forest Service. He was ready and willing to lay his life on the line whenever and wherever the call came in. He did just that, ladies and gentlemen.”
RELATIVES: Family members in attendance included Debbie Hyatt, Brenda Pearson, Don and Suzanne Leavens.
CEREMONY: The ceremony at the Lone Pine Cemetery in Darby, Montana, was attended by forty-seven people, including six smokejumpers and many wildland firefighters, who signed the tribute registry at Sherman’s memorial. Steve Brown, District Ranger for the Darby District of the Bitterroot National Forest, was the keynote speaker. He did an outstanding job honoring Marvin Sherman and the sacrifices of those who died in Mann Gulch. Many of the guests from the Bitterroot National Forest were instrumental in providing support and assistance for the event.
The Darby VFW and the Hamilton American Legion provided military honors. The highlight of the ceremony was when Miss Montana, the restored DC-3 that dropped the jumpers into Mann Gulch in 1949, performed a flyover that was perfectly timed to coincide with the final volley of the 21-gun salute and Taps. Fred Rohrbach (MSO 65) donated the cost of Miss Montana’s honor flight.
RECOGNITION: Smokejumpers in attendance included the site coordinator, Jeff Kinderman (MSO 75), Terry Williamson (MSO 69), Michael Pepion (MSO 82), Tory Kendrick (MSO 00), Sarah Doehring (MSO 91), Luke Barrett (NCSB 13), Bob Nichol (MSO 52), Joe Nicol (MSO 80), Bill Miller (MSO 62), George Buker (MSO 77), and Dan Thompson (FBX 86). The Darby Fire Dept. was also represented at the ceremony.
The NSA provided a special brass medallion affixed to his gravestone so anyone who read the inscription would know that Marvin Sherman was indeed a hero recognized by the National Smokejumper Association. Many other wildland firefighters from the Bitterroot National Forest and several local firefighters were also there.
MEDIA: Dennis Bragg (KGBO)
