Xerri's Xmas Trees News

X-Men have nothing on this Exeter ex-Ford worker

By SCOTT NEINAS

Having your name start with the letter ‘x' isn't exactly easy.

But William Xerri has dealt with it for 61 years. The Exeter Township resident has a farm on W. Newburg Rd. and sells, of all things, X-mas trees.

What would you expect?

Mr. Xerri (pronounced sherri) said his family name originates in the island nation of Malta, which is in the Mediterranean Sea, just south of Sicily.

His father exited the country as a merchant marine and ended up in Detroit, along with several other Maltese. And although a name beginning with an "x" may not be the norm here, in Malta, the name was fairly common.

"A lot of them, when they came here, changed the spelling to "sh," but I'm glad my dad never did," said Mr. Xerri.

The United States was a Xanadu of sorts for the Maltese. The Xerris moved to Carleton where they bought a farm. Mr. Xerri had a good childhood and young adulthood, except he was always the only kid in his class with an "x" in his name. When he was in the Army, where everything is done in alphabetical order, he was always last, no exceptions.

After the Army, Mr. Xerri worked for Ford Motor Co. at the Woodhaven Stamping Plant. It was then that he bought property in Exeter and started planting trees.

"I needed a tax write-off," Mr. Xerri said.

But now that he's an ex-Ford employee in retirement, Mr. Xerri operates his X-mas tree business as a full-time job.

And now, instead of his last name acting as a hex, he uses it to his advantage. Xerri's X-mas Trees is an eye-catching name for a business, although Mr. Xerri took some heat for not using the word "Christmas."

"A lot of people don't like that," said Mr. Xerri.

While having a name that starts with an "x" makes some things harder, there are some exceptions. For example, his name is easy to find in the phone book.

"We were the only "x" in the phone book for 30 or 40 years," he said.

Now there are two extra names that start with the 24th letter.

That still doesn't help people who don't have the expertise in knowing how to spell his name.

"Most people think it's spelled with an "sh," Mr. Xerri said.

Which is why it can be taxing for his wife, Shirley.

"Some think her name is Sherri," Mr. Xerri said.

All in all, though, having an X-mas tree farm in Exeter is going excellent for Mr. Xerri.

"I could have planted corn and soybeans, but I went with Christmas trees, and I'm glad I did," said Mr. Xerri.