Sheran Mcadams Hollowood

Sheran McAdams Hollowood, 72, died after a lengthy illness in the arms of her beloved daughter on one of her favorite days of the year, Easter Sunday. She was born in Burlington to Fletcher and Joyce McAdams and spent most of her life as a proud resident of Mebane, living with her family in the same house she grew up in until her stroke in 2022.

Sheran is preceded in death by her parents and her devoted husband of 33 years, Ed. Their family finds great comfort in the hope that after more than a year apart they are on a beach somewhere together. She is survived by her sisters-in-law, Patricia Hollowood and Jean Smith who loved her dearly, her brother and sister-in-law, Ken and Marcy McAdams of Burlington as well as several loving nieces, nephews and cousins. Sheran and Ed have one daughter, Hillary Hollowood of Durham, who writes this obituary amidst the impossible grief of losing the guiding light of your life.

Sheran graduated from Eastern Alamance High School in 1970 before attending Appalachian State University where she received her undergraduate degree in Library Science. She worked for a number of years as an elementary school librarian before obtaining her master’s degree from East Carolina University. These experiences instilled a love of learning and a belief in the power of education as an equalizing force for women that she would carry for the rest of her life.

In the 80’s Sheran transitioned to a career in sales where she was often the only woman at the table. Her success took her to Texas where she met Ed and they had Hillary before relocating back to Mebane in 1998. Sheran was the life of every party and sought out adventure wherever she was, most notably becoming a master scuba diver, logging over 1,000 dives and achieving her underwater hunter’s license. Sheran loved the outdoors and taught Hillary to fish, pitch her own tent and cook a full meal over a camp stove while Ed often looked on in helpless admiration of the women in his life.

Sheran was a force of a woman endlessly dedicated to her family and community. Her joy and light lives on in her rose garden that blooms every spring, the family recipes she shared with anyone who admired her cooking and the daughter she raised to face the world fearlessly who will live the rest of her life with immense gratitude for the privilege of being hers.

The family will conduct a funeral mass for Sheran and Ed at St. Matthew’s Catholic Church in Durham in the fall. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Sheran’s name to the 4Ocean Foundation at https://www.4oceanfoundation.org/ .