Sherry May

Sherry Marts May, 86, of KIrksville, Missouri, passed away peacefully on December 29, 2021, in La Belle Manor Care Center where she had been a resident. She was born October 3, 1935, to Charles and Helen (Pavesic) Marts in Kirksville, Missouri.

Sherry is survived by her three children: Debbie Schreiber of Kirksville, Missouri; Denise (Nathan) Clark of Kirksville, Missouri; David (Paula) May of Polk City, Iowa. Additionally, she is survived by grandchildren Erin Clark of San Jose, California;  Ryan (Danni) Hinson-Clark of Bakersfield, California;  Bethany (Theron) Nunnelly of Columbia, Missouri; Dustin Schreiber of Columbia, Missouri;  Gretchen and Matthew May of Polk City,  Iowa. Three surviving great-grandchildren include Abraham, Ben, and Daphne. She is also survived by her brother Albert (Gina) Marts of Pennsylvania; sister Ann (Jack) Hiatt of Illinois; many beloved nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband Robert, both parents, one brother Dick Marts, and one sister Patty McCollum.

Sherry attended Kirksville schools and graduated from Kirksville Senior High School.  As a teenager, she worked at Pete’s Candyland and Grim Smith Hospital.  In 1952, she married the love of her life, Robert May; the young couple moved to Wichita, Kansas, after Robert’s enlistment in the Army ended. They both worked at Boeing: Robert worked as an illustrator, and Sherry worked in the mail room. Their daughters Debbie and Denise were born in Wichita, Kansas, a place where she dearly enjoyed living.

The family moved back to Kirksville in 1967, and she continued to be devoted to raising her children. They welcomed son David in 1971.  Sherry enjoyed sewing and had an amazing talent for creating beautiful clothes.  She was active in the First United Methodist Church of Kirksville, and after her children were older, she began working as a medical secretary for the radiology department at KOH. Later, until her retirement, she worked at Kirksville Medical Imaging for Dr. Willman and Dr. Williams.

Sherry was never happier than when she was surrounded by her family, especially her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She assisted in caring for them and creating magic for them.  She loved the holidays and hosting her family for meals. She enjoyed making candy, cookies, and pies as well as decorating her house and surprising her family with gifts.  She will be remembered as someone who wanted nothing more than to provide happiness and love to her family.

The family will gather for a private celebration of life at a later date.

In lieu of sending flowers, please consider making a donation to the Alzheimer’s Association at alz.org or a charity of your choice.

Arrangements in the care of Davis-Playle-Hudson-Rimer Funeral Home; www.davisplaylehudsonrimer.com.