Obituary of Sherwood Enck

Sherwood "Skip" Enck, most recently of Clinton, NY, died in Fredericksburg, VA on September 28, 2024. An engineer in the mechanical and manufacturing sense professionally and in the model railroading sense as a hobby, he was 84 years old. Mr. Enck was born in 1940 in Oneonta and raised on a farm in Maryland, NY. From his family and a boyhood spent in the cow pastures and wooded hills of Otsego County, Sherwood developed a lifelong appreciation of nature. He particularly loved the birds and flowers of his home state and shared his love and knowledge of the natural world with friends and family. His youth was enriched by participation in Boy Scouts, Drum and Bugle Corps, and learning from four older brothers. After graduating from Clarkson University in 1962, he started working as an engineer at Bendix in Sidney, NY. He spent the 1960s and 70s wearing a movie-cliché pocket protector and contributing to designs that reached the ocean depths and the far heights of outer space. Twenty years later, he launched Upturn Industries in Trout Creek, NY. The manufacturing company supplied small, precision-machined parts for public safety, transportation, and military sectors. He derived great satisfaction in finding creative solutions to puzzling problems. Sherwood loved model railroading and worked in several gauges. Through the years, he enjoyed the tiny intricacies of HO locomotives and cars, but his pride was building two live steam locomotives. He gave rides behind these fully functioning steam engines for several years at the Finger Lakes Rail Club track in Marengo, NY. He traversed the U.S. and Canada several times by train and car. His adventures took him to all 50 states, numerous national parks with his daughters, and zip-lining in Costa Rica with his grandsons. His interests included gardening, cooking, beekeeping, hunting, and community service clubs. In his retirement, Mr. Enck found enjoyment volunteering with Habitat for Humanity and Foodbank of the Southern Tier in Chemung County. Mr. Enck is survived by his daughters Melody Crenshaw (Larry) and Gretel Enck; stepsons Lance Whitney (Sharry) and Jarrid Whitney (Shelley Arakawa); grandsons Vincent Whitney (Viktoryia), Ruben Whitney (Skye O'Connor), Kramer Whitney, and Luke Whitney; granddaughter Kalia Whitney; great-granddaughter Iris Whitney; former wife Mary Drachler; former wife Donna Enck; and nieces and nephews. Family and friends may call on Saturday, October 19, between 9:00 AM and 12:00 PM at C.H. Landers, Inc. Funeral Chapel at 21 Main St, Sidney, NY. A private inurnment will follow at St. Peter’s Church in Bainbridge, NY. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Finger Lakes Live Steamers Inc., PO Box 141, Palmyra, NY 14522-0141 or your local Habitat for Humanity or food bank.