Sherrill Ann Marvin

Sherry Marvin passed on her 80th birthday, August 13, 2024, at the Westgate Center for Rehabilitation and Alzheimer’s Care in Bangor, Maine. Born in Peoria, Illinois, in 1944 to Marguerite and Kenneth Marvin, she grew up in Illinois and graduated as a drama major from Illinois Wesleyan University in 1966. Sherry went on to complete her MA in Education at Goucher College in Baltimore, after which she moved to Chicago to work with autistic children. After exploring teaching, fashion design, and restaurant management in Chicago, she relocated to California’s Marin County where she found, nestled in “The Valley,” a community full of like-minded folks: creatives and free spirits; she called Forest Knolls home for thirty years. A member of the San Geronimo Valley Lions Club, Sherry was responsible for organizing their 4th of July Flea Market; indeed, she expanded the event with great success. 

Sher, as she came to be known, enjoyed listening to music, dancing, art, hanging out with dear friends at the local bar, and generally enjoying life one day at a time. She will be remembered for her scathing wit, her love of cats, her flair for noticing details many of us overlook, and finally her love of reading. Sher could never be found without a book in hand and stacks of books surrounding her. Indeed, one niece recalls on visiting her in 90’s that her car’s backseat was literally filled with paperback books.

Sher began to suffer from the advancement of vascular dementia in her early 70’s, and it was thanks to the support of local community and close friends, specifically Lynn Smoles, that she was able to remain in the valley for some time. Eventually, her symptoms worsened to the degree that she came to require 24/7 care. In 2017, Sherry’s nieces helped her move to the east coast and find this care, first in Long Island, NY, and then, eventually, in the state of Maine. Sherry’s family is particularly grateful to the Westgate Center in Bangor and the Northern Lights Hospice Program for ensuring that she was comfortable and in good company during her final days.

Sherry was preceded in death by her brother Charlie Marvin and sister Mary Boyd Everett. She is survived by three nieces: Cate Marvin, Julie Boyd, and Jennifer Boyle and her sister-in-law, Mary Jo Marvin, as well as many grand-nieces and nephews. She will also be mourned by her beloved friend and caregiver Lynn Smoles. 

In a private service for family, Sherry will be buried next to her brother in the Cutter Cemetery Extension in Jaffrey, NH, on September 14, 2024. Arrangements are being handled by Cournoyer Funeral & Cremation Services. The family asks that any donations on her behalf be directed to Alzheimer’s Foundation of America to support research for the disease from which she suffered.