STRONG - This past Saturday morning, the 23rd day of August 2025, at Franklin Memorial Hospital, Sherry Walrath opened her bright blue eyes one last time and then danced off into the cosmos. There's a hole in our hearts that will never be filled. Sherry leaves behind many who will always love her, especially Doug, the love of her life and her husband of 44 years; daughter, Shannon and her husband, Albert Locke; son, Bryan and his wife, Janet Shortall; stepchildren, Martha Group and her husband, Robert, Philip Walrath and his wife, Cindy, Stephen Walrath and his wife, Lori, and Rebecca Walrath; grandsons, Gaelen and Aidan Bates; and many step grandchildren and great-grandchildren. They all grew up enjoying summers with Sherry at the farm. Sherry was born Sharon Marie Van Wickle, on March 13, 1937, in Muskegon, MI., the daughter of H. Neal Van Wickle and Verneda Stout. Sherry was openly proud of her Dutch heritage ("If you aren't Dutch, you aren't much."). The father she never knew died five days after she was born. He was more than a memory to her. Her mother often said, "Nick was a heller. You're just like Nick." Sherry treasured the memories of living her first years on her grandparents' farm with no electricity and no running water. When she was still in college, Sherry married Jerry Bates. Even after they went their separate ways, Sherry kept good memories of the years she spent with Jerry. In 1981 she married Doug Walrath, "the love of my life." She often said, "We danced together once and that was it." That same spring she renewed her rural roots when they moved to the Hundred Acre Farm on the South Strong Road. They lived on the farm happily ever after. They gardened organically and with Sherry's artistic talent restored their 1843 farmhouse. Sherry loved the farm, and the dogs, cats, porcupines and fox kits who came often to her doorstep for treats. Sherry was a singer and dancer who exuded vitality. At 88, she still remembered the tap dance steps she did at her first recital when she was seven years old. She sang "You Made Me Love You," and then danced. It brought the house down. Sherry was a life-long entertainer. In her eighties she was still dancing and singing as Doug played jazz on the keyboard. In mid-life Sherry discovered her vocation. She went to the National Technical Institute for the Deaf and trained as an Interpreter for the Deaf. The deaf loved Sherry. She was their go-to interpreter. Many of them thought she must have been born deaf. (She wasn't.) For more than three decades Sherry taught American Sign Language at several universities in New York State, and finally at UMF. Students fought to get into her classes. At UMF they called her "the goddess of sign language." When she and Doug moved to Maine, Sherry joined the Fairbanks Union Church because it was "small enough." She helped a generation of kids find faith and have fun as a Sunday school teacher. If you would like to remember Sherry with a gift, in lieu of flowers, please give a donation to the Franklin County Animal Shelter, 550 Industry Road, Farmington Maine, (207)778-2638 or the Fairbanks Union Church, 583 Fairbanks Road, Farmington Maine, (207)778-4705. Sherry's family wishes to thank the caregivers at Sandy River Rehab Center, the caregivers in the Emergency Department and the third floor Med-Surg Unit at Franklin Memorial Hospital for the care and comfort they gave to her. They also wish to thank Dan and Scott's Cremation and Funeral Service for their sensitive care. Sherry's family invites her friends to join them as they celebrate her life on Thursday, September 4 at 11 am at the Fairbanks Union Church located in Farmington. Arrangements are under the care of Dan and Scott's Cremation and Funeral Service, 488 Farmington Falls Road, Farmington, Maine, where memories, photos and condolences may be shared at dsfuneral.com.