Sherry Hughes

Sherry Leona Rice Hughes (Nana), age 67, of Coker, AL passed on to be with our Lord and Savior peacefully, Monday, December 8, 2025, surrounded by family at UAB Hospital. A memorial service in her honor will be held Friday, December 12, 2025, at Sunset Funeral Home at 2:00 p.m. with Brother Michael Feltman officiating and Sunset Funeral Home directing. Visitation will be from 1:00 p.m. until 2:00 p.m..

She was preceded in death by her parents, Ottis (Buddy) Rice and Peggy Channell Rice.

She is survived by her husband of 47 years, Ronald Hughes; two children, Bret Hughes (Tracy) and Jenni Hughes (Todd); grandchildren, Kylie Hughes (Dewayne), Valerie Hughes (Dean), and Tanner Hughes; two great- grandchildren Desiree and Carter Jackson; one brother, Larry Williamson (Kathy); two sisters, Debbie Rice Wheat (Glenn) and Melody Rice Burnette (Rodney); nephews, Brian Wheat (Meredith), Matthew Burnette (Kira), Jason Elmore (Lani), Cody Tyner, and Michael Williamson; nieces, Michelle Wheat Marx (Richard), Chelsie Tyner Wyman (Matt), Kristen Perry, and Emily Perry, and several great-nieces and great-nephews.

Sherry was a 1976 graduate of Tuscaloosa County High School. She worked for Pepsi Bottling Company for nine years until her second child was born. She then became a stay-at-home wife and mother. After her children were grown, she went back to work for a short time with ABM at Mercedes. She was a volunteer firefighter for many years for the Coker Volunteer Fire Department, and she helped to incorporate the Town of Coker.

Sherry loved Jesus and had an adventurous spirit; she was a ray of sunshine and carried a warmth and love with her wherever she went. Sherry was truly a people person, and she had a way of making everyone feel included, special, and accommodated. She was a wonderful listener and open-minded and she was inspired by other people's passions. Sherry had a green thumb and loved flowers, gardening, and nature. She also liked to travel, especially to the beach. She also loved arts, crafts, home projects, reading, shopping, music, swing dancing (when she was young), and decorating for the holidays, especially Halloween and Christmas. She loved animals, especially, her fur babies, Milkshake, Ryder, Aurora, and Crook. She enjoyed researching and making home remedies for her family. Sherry could do anything she put her mind to. Sherry's biggest love of all was her family. She was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend. She always put her family before herself. The one thing in life that meant the most to her was having her family together with her. She had a heart of gold and loved helping those in need. Her devotion as a wife, mother, and nana was unmatched and her compassion and humility was unwavering.

A heartfelt thank you to the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Department, Coker Volunteer Fire Department, Northstar, DCH, and UAB for their compassionate care.

Sherry will be remembered by her compassion, loyalty, love, and devotion to her family, friends, God, and the community as well as her humble-kindred Christian spirit. Her memory will live on by those who hold her most dear. She will be loved and missed dearly.