Sherry Lynn Lavigne

Sherry was born on March 31, 1952, at St. Clair Hospital in East St. Louis, Illinois, to Walter Frank Kruse and Dolores Jean Kruse. She spent her early years in rural Columbia, Illinois, surrounded by her extended family. One of her fondest childhood memories was enjoying grilled cheese at her cousin’s house, a tradition courtesy of their observance of Lent.

Sherry graduated from Columbia High School, and during her teenage years, she began participating in pen pal exchanges with soldiers fighting in the Vietnam War. Through these letters, she connected with Eugene Lavigne, a young airman who would soon capture her heart. At just 18 years old, Sherry Kruse became Sherry Lavigne, beginning a lifelong journey with Eugene.

Together, they traveled extensively due to Eugene’s service in the U.S. Air Force, living in various locations around the world. Their first daughter, Amy, was born in 1973 in Springfield Massachusetts. Four years later, in 1977, their second daughter, Nicole, was born at Haun Air Force Base in Germany. In 1978, the Lavigne family settled in Jacksonville, Arkansas, where Sherry devoted herself to raising and nurturing her daughters alongside Eugene.

As Amy and Nicole built families of their own, Sherry embraced her role as a grandmother with immense joy and purpose. Her love and devotion to her grandchildren—Dillon, Cameron, Rebecca, and Marc—defined her as "Nana," a title she earned not just through their births, but through the care and warmth she showered upon them every day.

From then on, "Nana" was a central figure in her grandchildren’s lives, always nearby to offer love, care, and of course, her world-famous grilled cheese—"Made with lots of butter and lots of love!" Her daughters and their families remained close, with Nicole often saying, “We only live four doors down.”

Sherry is survived by her devoted husband, Eugene Lavigne; her daughters, Amy Fletcher and Nicole Lavigne; and her grandchildren, Dillon Morse, Rebecca Morse, Cameran Lavigne, and Marc Thompson. She leaves behind a legacy of love, kindness, and cherished memories that will forever remain in the hearts of her family and friends.

Though Nana may no longer be physically present, her love and warmth will live on in the stories, traditions, and memories she created with those she held dear.

From the song “Three wooden Crosses”—It’s not what you take when you leave this world behind you. It’s what you leave behind when you go.