Continuing our series "Getting to Know Our Neighbors,” we want to introduce you to Sue and Joel Sherman who have lived in the Esplanade since 2014.  

Initially, they moved into a condo in the East Tower and a few years later moved into their condo in the West Tower.  Sue and Joel raised their children in Newton and when their youngest child left for college, they moved into a condo in the Charlestown Navy Yard on Constellation Wharf. But the stairs became too much for them and they began looking for alternatives. Years ago, as a single lawyer, Joel met Bernie Aserkoff “through some pretty competitive tennis games” at Charles River Park where Joel lived as a bachelor and then with Sue after they were married. Through common interests such as the Jewish Community, the Aserkoffs and the Shermans have remained close friends for over 50 years. The Aserkoffs encouraged Joel and Sue to check out the Esplanade which they did and became new residents!

 Sue and Joel are the parents of Daniel and Abigail.  Dan lives nearby in Boston and is the father of Jacob who is 12 years old.  Joel adds that Jacob will have his Bar Mitzvah in December and they spend “a lot of weekend time chasing him all over the state for his basketball tournaments!”  Dan is the President of a private foundation following 10 years with the Boston Foundation. Abigail lives in St. Paul MN and is a VP with Excel Health.  She is the mother of Maya who is 16, a new licensed driver, an avid soccer player, a real leader, and a “typical driven first-born”! Elsa,11 (who was born right before “Frozen” came out and, coincidentally, shared her name with one of the stars in the movie), plays volleyball and loves the theater. In fact, she has been in “several plays and shows real talent.”

Sue grew up in Hagerstown, a small city in western Maryland. She remembers her life there as a happy with lots of friends, some of whom still remain close.  Her family belonged to the only Temple in town that had a small Jewish population.  She received her undergraduate degree at Lesley College and her Master’s as a reading specialist from Boston University. She began teaching in Medfield and, then, spent a few years teaching in Potomac, Maryland.  She and two friends accepted teaching positions at Lake Normandy School in an open classroom of 75 students. She said it was very challenging, “tough but a good learning experience.’  After returning to Boston (more later about how that happened), Sue has taught, supervised other teachers and reading specialists, tutored, and for 19 years was the Language Arts Coordinator and a reading specialist at Dedham Country Day School.  Currently, she continues to work as a reading tutor at Buckingham Brown & Nichols School.

Joel grew up in Lynn, Massachusetts; his group of friends were a real mix ethnically and very close.  He notes that “it was an educational experience and we learned a lot about each others’ cultures.”  He added that earlier Lynn was a “big industrial city, with two G.E. plants and a number of shoe factories.  In 1920 more women’s shoes were manufactured in Lynn than anywhere in the country.  As a result, the city attracted many immigrants from diverse backgrounds and “it was a great experience growing up there.”  Joel graduated from Bowdoin College in Maine and New York University for law school.  During the Vietnam War he joined the Army Reserves and was assigned to a medical unit -- fortunately, he “was not assigned to the operating room but became an administrative officer.”  He has practiced law for 60 years and continues full- time at McLane Middleton law firm.

Joel and Sue met on vacation at a resort in the Catskills.  In a “it was meant-to-be moment,” they had each gone with friends and met while playing tennis. They remember it with fondness and marvel that they were both there at the same time -- a wonderful coincidence!  They dated long-distance -- for a year traveling between Boston and Montgomery County, Maryland -- and married in 1973 in Hagerstown.  They then settled in Boston and lived at Charles River Park before their move to Newton.  When thinking of their past, they laughed about their “very big dining room table that we take everywhere… we can’t let go of it because of all the memories it holds!”

Sue and Joel remain very active in the Jewish community and have traveled to Israel frequently. Sue has been there 11 times and Joel has made at least 20 trips! They have taken their children and have stayed involved with Yemin Orde, a Youth Village, outside of Haifa. In the 1930’s the Village was established to care for groups of children and teenagers fleeing the Nazis. It now welcomes and provides education, support, and safety for immigrant groups and at-risk youth.

They also make sure that the family gets together and they reserve times at vacation residences and resorts for family gatherings.  They love theater, movies, reading, and TV for relaxation. In the past, they have traveled a lot and now travel in state following Jacob’s basketball tournaments! Here in the Esplanade, Joel has joined the Men’s Conversation Group and Sue is a regular at Swimming Aerobics.  Joel continues to play golf, using a new swing relearned in the adaptive golf program at Spaulding Rehab and with Sue’s help.  She jokes that “I’ve given up my professional career to caddie for Joel.”

 Joel and Sue are warm, accomplished, and friendly neighbors. Say “hi” when you see them!

--Jane Hilburt-Davis