1949
Sherrill
2025
Sherrill Jean Truax
February 18, 1949 — June 7, 2025
Sherrill Jean (Selleck) Truax, a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, friend, and educator, passed away in her sleep on June 7, 2025, at the age of 76.
Sherrill was born on February 18, 1949, in Inglewood, California, to Barney and Merial Selleck. Before she turned five, her little brother (and lifelong friend) Dan joined the family. Sherrill spent the first eleven years of her childhood in Redondo Beach.
Sherrill always loved learning. In elementary school, she attended Riviera Elementary, walking nearly a mile to and from school by herself each day. Her father worked in aerospace and her mother was a legal secretary. Milk was delivered to the house most mornings and the Helms Bakery driver brought fresh baked goods several times a week. Each summer, the family road-tripped around the American West.
In 1955, Sherrill’s parents bought an empty lot in Rolling Hills Estates. In 1960, with Sherrill’s 5th grade school year nearly finished, the family moved into their newly-built home, and she began attending Dapplegray. She quickly made friends with whom she walked to and from school, each day returning home in Keds covered with dust from the horse trails that criss-crossed the neighborhood. The space in front of her home eventually became the South Coast Botanic Garden.
Sherrill began high school at Palos Verdes High before moving to the newly-completed Rolling Hills High School. She loved learning French and was active on the yearbook staff and in various singing groups. In 1967, she enrolled as a French major at UCLA. Despite some initial homesickness, she grew to love campus life. One evening during her sophomore year, she attempted to get some of her dormmates to attend a dance, saying, “Come on, we could meet our future husbands tonight!” Sure enough, she met a young man named Doug Truax who, after dancing with her, took her for a ride on his motorcycle. She was smitten! Much of their courtship was spent at UCLA basketball games during the John Wooden era.
Sherrill and Doug were engaged in 1969. Doug presented the engagement ring during an errand to pick up dinner for Sherrill’s family, and Sherrill’s father loved to tease them about getting engaged at H. Salt Fish & Chips. That same year, Sherrill’s parents adopted her little sister, Laura, and brought her home when she was three days old. (Years later, Laura was reunited with her birth mother, June, who became a beloved member of the Selleck and Truax families.)
On September 19, 1970, Sherrill and Doug were married. They settled into an apartment in West LA, and in 1971 Sherrill graduated from UCLA with a degree in psychology and began to work as an aide at a school for the deaf. She loved the job, but decided to enroll in UCLA’s teacher preparation program, receiving her credential in 1974. She immediately tried her hand at substitute teaching and, despite a terrible first day, she stuck with it and soon learned to love subbing.
In 1976, Sherrill and Doug moved into the house that would become their lifelong home in Rancho Palos Verdes. Their first daughter, Christine, was born a few months after they moved in, while their second daughter, Lisa, was born five years later. Sherrill decided to stay home with the girls, and she became involved at Taper Avenue School by serving on the PTA, as a classroom volunteer, and as a room parent.
When Lisa and Christine were still young, Sherrill and Doug bought a second-hand motorhome. Together, they travelled all across the western United States, including camping in Yosemite National Park with family and friends each year for more than two decades in a row.
With Christine in high school and Lisa in middle school, Sherrill decided to return to substitute teaching—or so she thought. One afternoon, as she was leaving Crestwood Elementary, a group of girls asked, “Mrs. Truax, won’t you be our teacher?” It was only October, and two supposedly permanent teachers had walked out on the class. After talking with Doug, Sherrill decided to apply for the job. She was hired and began an eighteen year stint at Crestwood, teaching 5th grade and 4th grade before retiring in 2015.
Meanwhile, both Christine and Lisa graduated from San Pedro High School and Westmont College. The girls followed in Sherrill’s footsteps, earning teaching degrees and also staying home with their young children. Christine and David are parents to Nicholas (born 2005) and Samuel (born 2008), while Lisa and Robert are parents to Joshua (born 2016). Sherrill treasured every moment with her three grandsons, never missing a chance to hold a baby, buy a Lego set, provide junk food, or (as the boys got older) tell a sarcastic joke and remind them never to ride on a motorcycle!
In her retirement years, Sherrill traveled widely with Doug. They took a river cruise in Europe, travelled regularly with Dan to UCLA football games all across the country, and visited the Canadian Maritimes. And Sherrill was always planning her next trip to see her beloved daughters and grandchildren in Oregon and Texas. Having begun attending First Presbyterian Church of San Pedro when the girls were in youth choirs, Sherrill served there as a deacon and an elder in the last decade of her life. She was also involved with walking groups, her local P.E.O. chapter, and frequent social activities with a host of close friends. Her mind was razor sharp, and she loved reading the latest books and bragging about her Wordle scores.
Throughout her life, Sherrill’s friends and family appreciated her quick wit and sense of humor. She loved to laugh and to make others laugh. She was also well-known for her thoughtfulness, generosity, and the ease with which she included everyone. Whenever she learned about a need, she wanted to help in any way she could.
Sherrill is survived by her loving husband of 54 years, Doug, as well as by her two daughters, her three grandsons, and her brother and sister. She was preceded in death by her parents, Barney and Merial, who she lost in 2012, but whose love and presence she continued to feel every day.
It is impossible to count the number of lives Sherrill touched as a teacher, a friend, a mother, a wife, and a woman of quiet but steady faith. Her friends and family have lost a light, even as their lives are brighter for having known her. She will be deeply mourned and greatly missed, just as she will be forever remembered and eternally loved. May her memory bring a smile to your face and comfort to your heart.
A memorial service will be held at First Presbyterian Church of San Pedro (731 S. Averill Ave. in San Pedro, CA) on June 29th at 1pm.
If you would like to honor Sherrill with a gift in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Deacon’s Fund at First Presbyterian Church of San Pedro, a group that was dear to her heart. https://firstpressanpedro.org/
First Presbyterian Church of San Pedro is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Sherrill Truax Memorial Service
Time: Jun 29, 2025 01:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84002126726?pwd=AcqpHFd0EbUE3zZvcdpSwkzbnapa9L.1
Meeting ID: 840 0212 6726
Passcode: 162442
If you would like to honor Sherrill with a gift in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Deacon’s Fund at First Presbyterian Church of San Pedro, a group that was dear to her heart.
Link: https://firstpressanpedro.org/
Sherrill was born on February 18, 1949, in Inglewood, California, to Barney and Merial Selleck. Before she turned five, her little brother (and lifelong friend) Dan joined the family. Sherrill spent the first eleven years of her childhood in Redondo Beach.
Sherrill always loved learning. In elementary school, she attended Riviera Elementary, walking nearly a mile to and from school by herself each day. Her father worked in aerospace and her mother was a legal secretary. Milk was delivered to the house most mornings and the Helms Bakery driver brought fresh baked goods several times a week. Each summer, the family road-tripped around the American West.
In 1955, Sherrill’s parents bought an empty lot in Rolling Hills Estates. In 1960, with Sherrill’s 5th grade school year nearly finished, the family moved into their newly-built home, and she began attending Dapplegray. She quickly made friends with whom she walked to and from school, each day returning home in Keds covered with dust from the horse trails that criss-crossed the neighborhood. The space in front of her home eventually became the South Coast Botanic Garden.
Sherrill began high school at Palos Verdes High before moving to the newly-completed Rolling Hills High School. She loved learning French and was active on the yearbook staff and in various singing groups. In 1967, she enrolled as a French major at UCLA. Despite some initial homesickness, she grew to love campus life. One evening during her sophomore year, she attempted to get some of her dormmates to attend a dance, saying, “Come on, we could meet our future husbands tonight!” Sure enough, she met a young man named Doug Truax who, after dancing with her, took her for a ride on his motorcycle. She was smitten! Much of their courtship was spent at UCLA basketball games during the John Wooden era.
Sherrill and Doug were engaged in 1969. Doug presented the engagement ring during an errand to pick up dinner for Sherrill’s family, and Sherrill’s father loved to tease them about getting engaged at H. Salt Fish & Chips. That same year, Sherrill’s parents adopted her little sister, Laura, and brought her home when she was three days old. (Years later, Laura was reunited with her birth mother, June, who became a beloved member of the Selleck and Truax families.)
On September 19, 1970, Sherrill and Doug were married. They settled into an apartment in West LA, and in 1971 Sherrill graduated from UCLA with a degree in psychology and began to work as an aide at a school for the deaf. She loved the job, but decided to enroll in UCLA’s teacher preparation program, receiving her credential in 1974. She immediately tried her hand at substitute teaching and, despite a terrible first day, she stuck with it and soon learned to love subbing.
In 1976, Sherrill and Doug moved into the house that would become their lifelong home in Rancho Palos Verdes. Their first daughter, Christine, was born a few months after they moved in, while their second daughter, Lisa, was born five years later. Sherrill decided to stay home with the girls, and she became involved at Taper Avenue School by serving on the PTA, as a classroom volunteer, and as a room parent.
When Lisa and Christine were still young, Sherrill and Doug bought a second-hand motorhome. Together, they travelled all across the western United States, including camping in Yosemite National Park with family and friends each year for more than two decades in a row.
With Christine in high school and Lisa in middle school, Sherrill decided to return to substitute teaching—or so she thought. One afternoon, as she was leaving Crestwood Elementary, a group of girls asked, “Mrs. Truax, won’t you be our teacher?” It was only October, and two supposedly permanent teachers had walked out on the class. After talking with Doug, Sherrill decided to apply for the job. She was hired and began an eighteen year stint at Crestwood, teaching 5th grade and 4th grade before retiring in 2015.
Meanwhile, both Christine and Lisa graduated from San Pedro High School and Westmont College. The girls followed in Sherrill’s footsteps, earning teaching degrees and also staying home with their young children. Christine and David are parents to Nicholas (born 2005) and Samuel (born 2008), while Lisa and Robert are parents to Joshua (born 2016). Sherrill treasured every moment with her three grandsons, never missing a chance to hold a baby, buy a Lego set, provide junk food, or (as the boys got older) tell a sarcastic joke and remind them never to ride on a motorcycle!
In her retirement years, Sherrill traveled widely with Doug. They took a river cruise in Europe, travelled regularly with Dan to UCLA football games all across the country, and visited the Canadian Maritimes. And Sherrill was always planning her next trip to see her beloved daughters and grandchildren in Oregon and Texas. Having begun attending First Presbyterian Church of San Pedro when the girls were in youth choirs, Sherrill served there as a deacon and an elder in the last decade of her life. She was also involved with walking groups, her local P.E.O. chapter, and frequent social activities with a host of close friends. Her mind was razor sharp, and she loved reading the latest books and bragging about her Wordle scores.
Throughout her life, Sherrill’s friends and family appreciated her quick wit and sense of humor. She loved to laugh and to make others laugh. She was also well-known for her thoughtfulness, generosity, and the ease with which she included everyone. Whenever she learned about a need, she wanted to help in any way she could.
Sherrill is survived by her loving husband of 54 years, Doug, as well as by her two daughters, her three grandsons, and her brother and sister. She was preceded in death by her parents, Barney and Merial, who she lost in 2012, but whose love and presence she continued to feel every day.
It is impossible to count the number of lives Sherrill touched as a teacher, a friend, a mother, a wife, and a woman of quiet but steady faith. Her friends and family have lost a light, even as their lives are brighter for having known her. She will be deeply mourned and greatly missed, just as she will be forever remembered and eternally loved. May her memory bring a smile to your face and comfort to your heart.
A memorial service will be held at First Presbyterian Church of San Pedro (731 S. Averill Ave. in San Pedro, CA) on June 29th at 1pm.
If you would like to honor Sherrill with a gift in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Deacon’s Fund at First Presbyterian Church of San Pedro, a group that was dear to her heart. https://firstpressanpedro.org/
First Presbyterian Church of San Pedro is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Sherrill Truax Memorial Service
Time: Jun 29, 2025 01:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84002126726?pwd=AcqpHFd0EbUE3zZvcdpSwkzbnapa9L.1
Meeting ID: 840 0212 6726
Passcode: 162442
If you would like to honor Sherrill with a gift in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Deacon’s Fund at First Presbyterian Church of San Pedro, a group that was dear to her heart.
Link: https://firstpressanpedro.org/
To send flowers to the family in memory of Sherrill Jean Truax, please visit our flower store.
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