Wilkie Sherard Frieson

Named after his grandfather, the late Wilkie Clark, Wilkie Sherard Frieson is the co-owner of Clark Memorial Funeral Service, and currently serves as the Managing Funeral Director and Embalming Manager for the facility.

He has been an Alabama licensed Funeral Director and Embalmer since 1999 when at age 19, he graduated with honors from Gupton-Jones College of Funeral Service and returned home from Decatur, Georgia to assist his mother in running the company.

Sherard is the son of Mrs. Charlotte A. Clark-Frieson and the late Clarence Frieson, Jr., and the grandson of the late Mr. and Mrs. Wilkie Clark.   He is also the grandson of the late Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Frieson, Sr., and Cora (Ogden) Frieson, and the late Mrs. Betty Morton Frieson.  He is married to the former Jacqueline Johnson a native of Roanoke.

Sherard was born into and grew up in and around the Funeral Home Business, and started working at 12 years of age.  As a toddler, he followed his grandfather, Wilkie Clark around the funeral home, and learned to be comfortable in the mortuary environment.

He is a 1997 graduate of Handley High School, Roanoke, Alabama, and a graduate of Southern Union State Community College, where he earned An Associate Degree in Science.

Sherard has been a technology enthusiast since middle school, and through his burgeoning interest in this newly evolving field of technology he became an expert at building powerful computing systems literally from scratch.   For this reason, he has overseen of all of the IT requirements for Clark Memorial Funeral Service since he was in Junior High School.   

In 2018, Sherard threw his hat in the ring and entered the contest for Randolph County Coroner.  He ran as a proud member of the Democratic Party to serve his County as Coroner — the highest office in the County.  Unfortunately, he did not win that contest, but gained tremendous experience as a first-time candidate for public office.   Although his bid for public office was a first-time experience for him, it was not "a first" for the Clark or Frieson family.   His grandfather, the late Wilkie Clark in 1976, had become the first black candidate to qualify and run for a seat on the Randolph County Board of Education.   In 1988, his mother, Charlotte A. Clark-Frieson became the first black to be elected to serve on the Randolph County Board of Education, a position she held for 18 consecutive years.   Then later, in 2018, she qualified and ran for the position of Alabama State Representative for Alabama House District 37. 

In furtherance of his ongoing interest in Computer Technology, Sherard also recently (March 2023) satisfactorily completed COMPUTER TECHNICIAN CompTIA A+ Certification Prep at Jefferson State Community College, Center for Workforce Education in Birmingham, Alabama.

Like his grandfather — and entire family, he has been a life-long member and supporter of the NAACP, and was recently elected 1st Vice-President of the local Branch in Randolph County.  He has also served as chairman of the Branch's Legal Redress Committee and has engaged in many hours of NAACP training on investigating the legal aspects of racial discrimination.    

As Chairman of NAACP Legal Redress, Sherard is designated to assist those unrepresented by legal counsel who have experienced racial bias, discrimination and /or retaliation in the private or public sector.  His committee reviews, analyzes, researches and where appropriate, investigates each such claim.

In his spare time, he has also enjoyed mechanics and restoring classic cars although limited time often prevents him from fully engaging in this hobby.