James Auril Sherburne

SUN CITY CENTER, FLORIDA – Beloved James Auril Sherburne, 75, died Friday, November 18, 2016 at the Hospice House in Sun City Center following a brief illness, leaving his wife of 8 years, Janice “Jan” Wadlin; his son, Dr. Stuart (Katie) Sherburne of Midway, Utah; his daughter Carrie (Micah) Thurston of Unity, Maine; granddaughters Abby and Helene Sherburne and Malaika Thurston; grandsons Deklan and Nigel Thurston; brothers Paul, John (Melinda) Sherburne. He also leaves special angels: Jeanne, Rick and Jack. Jim was predeceased by his wife of 29 years, Helene [Blodgett] Sherburne.

Born and raised in Milo, the son of Wilson and Pauline Rogers Sherburne, Jim attended school in Milo, earned Eagle Scout at the tender age of 13. Graduated from nearby Foxcroft Academy in 1959. Received honorable discharge from the US Army, returned to the University of Maine to earn Bachelors and Masters degrees, followed by his PhD from Cornell University in 1971.

Jim worked on the joint Smithsonian Institution/Peace Corps Program in Washington, D.C.; directed a Rockefeller Foundation project in Botswana, Africa; served as Conservation Specialist for the African Wildlife Federation in Nairobi, Kenya; was Science Advisor to the US State Department; and returned to the University of Maine as Professor of Wildlife and Director of the Office of International Programs. Jim loved telling about his work with Marlin Perkins’ Wild Kingdom features on loon and moose in Maine. He retired in 1994 to Sun City Center, Florida. He was later awarded an Honorary Doctoral Degree from the University of Maine at Farmington. An avid golfer, storyteller, ecologist, fisherman, wood burning artist, bowl maker, volunteer at both Manatee Viewing Center and Lowery Park Zoo, a leader in Sun City Center’s Security Patrol and Saw-dust Engineers, Jim will be dearly missed by his family as well as friends and colleagues.