Obituary of William Paul Sherer

William Paul Sherer “Paul” was born in Tuscumbia, Alabama on November 21, 1958 and died in Houston, Texas on May 1, 2019.

Paul was a 1977 graduate of Deshler High School in Tuscumbia, Alabama.   He received a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa in 1981.  After graduation, Paul began his career in Huntsville Alabama and in 1982 moved his family to California’s Silicon Valley.  He worked for many years in network and computer technology.  Paul earned numerous patents on inventions that made significant contributions in the way that technology is used today.  He made key contributions that helped make networks of computers and file servers perform better.  Paul designed a standard interface that is currently used in Microsoft Windows and his designs and inventions in the area of video-on-demand contributed to a faster and more affordable video-streaming service. 

In 1981, Paul married Kaye Bailey of Muscle Shoals, Alabama.  Paul and Kaye moved to Sunnyvale, California where they enjoyed gardening and caring for tropical fish.  Paul’s gardening interests included growing roses.   Orange Tropicana, red and white Double Delight, and red Mr. Lincoln roses were among his favorites.  Paul and Kaye welcomed their daughter, Allison Rose, to the family in 1996.  As a family, they enjoyed spending time in Monterey, California and in Hawaii.  There they enjoyed snorkeling and spending time on the beautiful island of Maui.

Paul was preceded in death by his father, Thomas Howell Sherer.  He is survived by Kaye Bailey Sherer, his daughter Allison Sherer, mother Gladys Call Sherer, brother Wayne Sherer, his wife Yvonne and their children David and Cristina, and brother Mark Sherer, his wife Connie and their children Jonathan and Mallory.

A memorial service for Paul will be held at First Baptist Church of Tuscumbia on May 18, 2019 at 1:00 in the afternoon.  Burial will follow at Oakwood Cemetery. 

Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.
For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.  1 Thessalonians 4:13-14