Former SCA director dies at 74

Last edited 9:51 a.m., Oct. 1, 2025 [Editor's note: Service information has been added.]

The longtime former executive director of the Springfield Contractors Association has died.

Sheryl Letterman, 74, died Sept. 29, according to a statement provided by her family. Her funeral has been scheduled for 10 a.m. on Oct. 11 at Greenlawn Funeral Home East.

"She was a bright spirit and will be missed dearly by all who knew and loved her," the statement reads.

Letterman led the SCA from 1986 through January 2015, when the organization announced her retirement from the executive director position, according to Springfield Business Journal archives. 

During her tenure, Letterman was instrumental in leading the construction of the SCA headquarters at 1313 N. Nias Ave., according to SBJ archives. When she started, the trade organization had no formal office.

SCA board President Grant Miller, who also owns Springfield Glass Co., expressed condolences to Letterman's family on behalf of the organization in a statement sent to SBJ.

"We are truly grateful for Sheryl’s guidance and leadership within the local design and construction industry. We would not be where we are today without her," Miller said in the statement. "As someone who had the opportunity to work with Sheryl, I can say she also helped me in my own career, and I know that countless others can say the same. We wish the best for her family and friends during this difficult time."

SBJ founder Dianne Elizabeth Osis said Letterman was a key player in the success of the business journal in its early years. Letterman invited SBJ to participate in the Salute to Design & Construction Council, of which the SCA is a member, and copies of the business journal were passed out at the council's meetings and annual celebrations, Osis said.

"Again and again, those members supported the business journal," Osis said. "Sheryl was tireless with Salute to Construction. She was amazing – her knowledge of the industry, her connections, her ability to communicate."

The SCA in 2024 ranked No. 4 on SBJ's list of the area's largest industry networking groups, with 325 members as of May 6, 2024. The SCA has been led since 2017 by Megan Herzog, who took over that year for interim director Kathy Baer. 

Letterman additionally was memorialized in a Facebook post by Women in Need of the Ozarks, which helps area women with short-term financial crises. 

"She was an integral part of Women in Need," the post reads. "She helped launch the organization and served on the first board of directors and continued her service until March of this year, when she decided it was time to 'let the young folks do it.' She had so many attributes that led to our success."