Sherrie Anne Hackett

Born December 16, 1943 – At Rest August 5, 2024

Life continues. That’s been the hardest part of Mom’s death.

Sherrie was chief manager and organizer of the Hackett household, a tall order. She was mother to four boys (five if you count her husband Bob) and gave so much to so many throughout her life. Mom was the north star of the family, and her loss has left us unsure where to turn. The entries in her calendar have ended. The calls to her phone go unanswered. Hair and nail appointments (Mom always loved them) have been canceled. Mom’s iconic circular, red-rimmed glasses lay folded on her nightstand, never to be worn again.

It is sadder now to enter the house we grew up in – that contains so many fabulous memories – and not be greeted by Mom’s smile. Although Mom is gone, her love and the life she lived are still present.

If there is a word to summarize Mom, it is “sweetness.” Born and raised in Warrenton, VA, Mom was the middle sister of the five Harris sisters, Sandra, Kay, Sherrie, Pat, and Frankie. Close friends called Mom, “Peachie.” She greeted everyone with a “Hey, sugar,” and ended every family conversation with a “love you.”

Mom spent most of her life in Paradise Valley, Arizona and never quite lost her southern drawl, which had a way of thickening whenever her sisters visited. When the Harris sisters were together, we used to laugh at them laughing. They never went anywhere except back in time, rummaging through fond memories, laughing over husbands and kids, and re-hashing stories of their youth and their beloved parents, Zenia and Barney, on Chatham Farms.

Mom was a loving wife to Bob. She was intelligent, patient, and offered a strong point-of-view on everything from history to politics to family, and always with a healthy dose of common sense.

Mom was observant and empathetic and had a penchant for saying just the right thing at the right time. She smothered other people’s uncertainty and sadness with love. She always stood up for her boys (whether her boys were right or not).

Mom was extremely well read. Friends, of which she had many, often visited to discuss books, for advice, or just a good catch-up conversation. At the end of her life, she was tough enough to understand it was time for her to go and loving enough to ensure all family members had time to say their final goodbyes before she passed.

I imagine Mom now as she looks in a photograph sent by her sister Pat. Mom was young and stylish with a big smile on her face, kicking back on a couch with her whole life ahead of her. I wonder if she had any idea of how many lives she would touch with her sweetness. She is gone physically. But her love resonates deeply in the hearts of all who knew and loved her.

Sherrie graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is survived by her husband Bob, two sisters Pat and Frankie, four sons and their wives: Jason and Steph, Ian and Torie, Austin and Mary Beth, and Stuart and Jess, and seven grandkids (Emme Kate, Kather, Jackson, Rainey, Carsen, Molly and Thea). A private family gathering will be held at a later time. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to your favorite charity.