Ethel Sherard; ‘Scrabble Lady’ Authored Book

Ethel Cannon Sherard, known by aficionados as “The Scrabble Lady” and author of the complex “The Double List Word Book” used widely by Scrabble and crossword puzzle buffs, has died in Pasadena at 95.

Mrs. Sherard, who maintained homes in Chicago and Eagle Rock, took up Scrabble as a hobby late in life after operating a grocery store and working as a clerk in Chicago. To assist herself and others with the complex word game, in 1980 she published “The Double List” book, which arranged more than 100,000 words by both the letters they begin and end with.

“At my age,” she said in an interview when she was 84 “there’s nothing else you have to do.”

Raised in Atlanta, Mrs. Sherard became intrigued with words when she was a frequent winner of school spelling bees. She became attracted to crosswords before Scrabble, which was invented in 1931 (it was called Criss-Cross until 1948.)

The game is played by forming interlocking words in crossword fashion on a 225-square grid, scoring points based on the value of the letters and the squares on which they are played.

She first played the game in the early 1950s after receiving it as a Christmas gift. Mrs. Sherard told The Times in 1980 that she became hooked immediately, joined a Scrabble club in Chicago and began tournament competition in 1977.

Mrs. Sherard, who died June 30, continued to play in tournaments until shortly before her death. Despite her age, she consistently placed in the top 10. Her husband, Benjamin, died five years ago. She will be buried in Chicago.