Sherry Lee Cain

Sherry was born August 16, 1952 in Sweetwater, TX. The first of five children of Louis and Elnora (Webster) Bird - Sherry spent her younger years in oil towns across the Permian Basin before her family settled in Odessa, TX where she graduated from Permian High School (of "Friday Night Lights" and MOJO fame). Being the oldest child, she played a huge role in helping raise her younger siblings, and family camping trips inspired a lifelong appreciation for the outdoors, Texas and Native Americans. Growing up she also showed great talent for art and music, playing the viola in the high school symphony.

During a summer session taking classes at Odessa College before starting at Texas Tech University, in the student union, playing cards, she first spotted Raymond Cain. Becoming bridge partners (and partners for life), the two were joined in spirit for the next 50-plus years.

Before they both graduated from Texas Tech, they married in 1974 at Crestview Methodist Church in Austin, TX - where Sherry's mother, brother, and 2 sisters had relocated. And after completing studies at Tech, they themselves settled in Austin, having fallen in love with the people, the natural beauty and the vibe - a lot of the same reasons people move to Austin to this day.

Sherry soon started a successful career at Texas Instruments - one of the key pillars in Austin's nascent tech scene. For the next dozen years, she excelled in the supervisory ranks in the circuit board and manufacturing groups - winning several performance awards and commendations from corporate leadership. Sherry left her mark in the quality improvement, training and education, and management circles at TI, and was much-loved by her colleagues and staff.

After taking early retirement, she worked on publishing projects before spending two years at Origin Systems (now EA) managing quality assurance and operations for several iconic computer games.

Transitioning out of technology, she joined the family real estate company, first as an operations manager before obtaining her realtor's and broker's licenses, becoming well-versed in the Austin real estate and property management space.

Sherry was proud of her career but there's no question she was most proud of the son, Chris, that she and Raymond had in 1982. Their first child, John Cain, passed away tragically in 1981 from SIDS, and Chris became her pride and joy. Sherry was a big believer in lifelong learning - trips to the library and bookstores inspired a similar love for learning in Chris. Seeing him grow up, excel in school, sports and work while developing his own life was her greatest pleasure.

Numerous physical and mental health challenges throughout her adult life put great stress on her and her loved ones. A stroke in 2017 and health complications from the COVID pandemic took a huge toll. She was eternally thankful for her dogs and all the support she received from her family and friends until the very end.

Sherry is survived by her husband, Raymond Cain; son, Chris Cain (Kathy Phan); stepmother, Alma Bird; brother Louis (Ann) Bird, sisters Dr. Kathleen Bird and Dana (Allen) Rock; nephews Matthew Bird, Adam (Britney) Bird, Reese (Nicole) Bruechner, Jordan (Ashley) Diamond, and Josh Adler; and nieces Madeleine Adler and Lea (Austin) Diamond Dailey.

Sherry was predeceased by her son, John Lyndon Cain; mother, Elnora Webster Whatley; father, Louis Odell “LO” Bird; stepfather, James Whatley; brother, Johnny Joe Bird; and her beloved dog, Honey Bear.

To honor Sherry’s memory, we are holding a celebration of life on September 30th at Schwertner Ranch Event Center in Schwertner, TX. Sherry loved Neil Young, chocolate, and dogs - among many other things - and we anticipate all of those playing a role. We invite anyone who knows Sherry, Raymond or Chris to attend and remember Sherry’s impactful life.