Sherwood Jeanne Bicknell Miles

Sherry Bicknell Miles of Madison died at home on March 5, 2010. She was 65. Sherry was born on October 9, 1944 at Chelsea Naval Hospital near Boston, Massachusetts to William and Frances (Burgoon) Bicknell. She graduated from Madison West High School in 1961 as a Merit Scholar finalist. She was a 1965 honors graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, majoring in History and Italian with an emphasis in Art History. After her 1964 marriage to James B. Schwalbach, she assisted him with his duties as District Attorney in Iowa County. Their son David was born in 1968. They subsequently moved to Milwaukee, where Jim was an assistant D.A. They later divorced and she remarried. She and her now former husband, Harry M. Miles, founded and operated a successful software company in Milwaukee. In 1988 they moved to Washington D. C. They then lived and worked in Cambridge, England for several years before returning to their Capitol Hill home. While in England, Sherry worked in fiscal management for an international environmental organization. During this period, she travelled in Europe, Africa and Asia. Sherry especially loved Italy. From 1995 until 2004 Sherry worked for National Public Radio in News Administration. She cherished the friends she made at NPR and was grateful for the sick leave days that they donated to her when she suffered a brain aneurism in 2004, as well as for their many other acts of kindness. During and after her lengthy hospitalization, her son David lovingly shouldered the many responsibilities for her care. Family and friends traveled to Washington to help in this difficult time. Sherry returned to Madison in 2005. While living in Madison, she appreciated the loving support of her mother, Frances B. Bicknell, her nephew Paul Merriam, good friends David and Norma Merriam and, from a distance in Atlanta, her son, David and his wife Betsy, and other family and friends. She is survived by her son, David C. (Betsy) Schwalbach, and grandson, Max Schwalbach, all of Atlanta, Georgia. She also is survived by her mother, Frances B. Bicknell, brother, Brad Bicknell of Madison, sisters Elizabeth B. Richmond of Eau Claire, Tani (Ted) Phillips of Toledo, Ohio; niece Blythe Phillips (Laura Shepherd) of Renton, Washington; nephews Paul Merriam, Elliott (Fabiola) Merriam of Madison; Brandon Phillips of Tucson, Arizona; grand-niece Isabella Merriam of Madison; and her adored poodles Poppy and Chloe. She was preceded in death by her father, William S. Bicknell and her first husband, James B. Schwalbach. Sherry was a voracious reader, and loved theater, opera, the symphony, and all visual arts. She kept a beautiful garden, was a wonderful cook, and made carefully tailored gifts for lucky family and friends. She had many friends and faithfully nurtured these friendships. Sherry had a brilliant mind, a precise vocabulary, a quick wit, and a kind heart. We will miss her. A memorial service to celebrate Sherry's life will be held Friday, April 9, 2010 at 4:30 PM at FIRST UNITARIAN SOCIETY LANDMARK MEETING HOUSE, 900 University Bay Drive, Madison, WI 53705. In lieu of flowers, gifts in her memory may be sent to: MARC, Inc., 901 Post Road, Madison, Wisconsin 53713; The Paideia School, 1509 Ponce de Leon Avenue, NE, Atlanta, Georgia 30307; or the University of Wisconsin Foundation, directed to the William S. Bicknell Actuarial Scholarship Fund.