Sherri Lynn Kelley

Sherri Lynn Kelley (Damish) gained her angel wings as she ascended from this world on October 31, 2021. She enjoyed her last hours with family, and in the presence of children coming by trick-or-treating before she joined her beloved grandmother, Dora Damish, and other loved ones who passed before her.

Born July 22, 1948, to Frank and Phyllis Damish, Sherri grew up and lived her life in Marysville, graduating in the class of 1966. The following year she married her high school sweetheart, Nathan Kelley. They made their home in Marysville. Starting out without much, they thoroughly enjoyed their new life together, often playing games with friends on the weekends. She always talked fondly about how they started out with very little, but they were so happy. Sherri’s spirit was humble, nonmaterialistic, and she had the gift of instinctively finding the good in nearly any situation or person. In November of 1967, Sherri gave birth to the first of three sons. She loved being their mom and raised her family on a 5-acre piece of land on which she and Nathan custom-built their family home. She is known to have said that was the happiest time of her life. Sherri embodied the role of a loving and devoted mother. Her love extended beyond her immediate family to include her sons' friends and their families.

Once her children were older, Sherri went to work out of the home first at GTE Directories and later working for Snohomish County. At the Courthouse, she worked in the Hearing Examiner's office and as the Executive Secretary to Robert Drewel in the Snohomish County Executive's office. However, during her working years, Sherri was continually pulled back to her true calling - loving and serving children. She would split her time between work, being a foster parent, a Guardian Ad Litem, and caring for her aging father and grandmothers. While she was highly respected and adored by everyone she worked with, her heart always remained dedicated to family and finding ways to be of service to others, especially children. Whenever Sherri saw a need or someone hurting, she was quick to fill that space. Long before anybody talked about the concept of it taking a village to raise a child, Sherri Kelley embraced it and lived it. Her generosity and kind nature were two of her most endearing qualities and are what drew friends and strangers alike to her.

After Sherri retired from Snohomish County, she traveled and spent her time loving and supporting her six grandchildren. She would write them letters, make their favorite meals, and attend their events. She loved each of them fiercely and thoroughly enjoyed being a grandmother. She enjoyed traveling and she was especially grateful for vacations with family. Sherri also appreciated the simple pleasures of spending time with Nathan and her dog, Rory, who rarely left her side.

She is survived by her husband, Nathan, her beloved Irishman, who took such wonderful care of her the last few years of her life. She was proud of the life they built together, and she loved Nathan as they overcame challenges and celebrated much joy over their 54 years of marriage. She also leaves behind her “three bears” sons: Frank (Julie), Kirk (McArthur), and Rick (Debbie), along with her six grandchildren: Isabella, Ashton, Ethan, Allison, Jack, and Grae. Additionally, she is survived by her brother Duane ("JD"), two sisters-in-law, Naomi ("Kelli"), and Marcia and brother-in-law, Steve, who she regarded as her sisters and brother.

Sherri Kelley lived a beautiful and loving life as an angel on this earth, always giving light to others so they could shine. She loved her family and friends wholeheartedly. Sherri will be dearly missed. Please join us for a celebration of it at 11:00 am, December 4th at Shafer-Shipman Funeral Home in Marysville, WA.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.SchaeferShipmanFuneral.com for the KELLEY family.