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My
Sister,
Sherry Zembower
By
Susan Poling
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I grew up in the shadow of an amazing
person. She was strong, gutsy, opinionated about politics,
religion, health issues, environment, her work and many other
causes. I often wondered how two people who grew up in the
same house, and have the same parents, could turn out so
different. In 1969, I got married. Sherry had just finished
college and left the following week for 2 1/2 years in the
Peace Corps. Her mission was to save the world! While I had
children, she was living in a hut with no plumbing or
electricity, wearing a sarong and helping the people of
Malaysia.
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While I raised my children, she worked
in a detention center, youth shelters and a school for
troubled children. Her entertainment was cross country
skiing, hiking and backpacking around the world. She loved
going out with friends, but many times it was just her and
her sidekick, Charlie - a stray mutt that she picked up.
(That is not my idea of a fun time!) She never forgot the
Peace Corps and she devoted a great deal of her time to the
Friends of Malaysia, which she served as a member of the
Board of Directors.
She earned her masters degree in Social
Services and while I was thrilled by the joys of being a
grandma, she decided to move to Turkey and work at a military
base as a Family Advocate. It was there, that she began the
fight of her life, when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
She came back to the States for treatment. It seemed more
like an inconvenience then anything. She never complained,
never missed work, or even a good ski trip. Many of those
around her never even knew she was sick. She was relocated to
Colorado Springs, home of the Air Force Academy.
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Sherry Zembower
1947
- 2005
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She has since begun a new adventure.
Sherry, you are not going to find "causes" in
heaven and you will not find any one save, but I see you
skiing across the clouds, with Charlie running beside you.
Sheryl Ann Zembower
Born: January 10, 1947
Died:
January 22, 2005
Charlie, her dog
Born:
Unknown
Died: December 29, 2004
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Sherry Zembower
High
School Graduation
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Sherry
by
Margie Hazelton
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What a woman!!!
A little effervescent energy bubble who
really would not, could not stop
until there was no more energy left.
You are my hero...
My dear friend,
my travel
companion,
a guiding force...
Your spirit will always be with
me...
your life is a testament to action vs
nothingness...
your soul is now freed....
Keep in touch, dear
friend,
keep reminding me of what's
important,
keep letting me hear the whisper of your
soul...
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Note: I met Sherry about 20 yrs ago at
Kent State, where an NPCA Annual Conference was being held. We
have gotten together at almost every conference since then. We
tried to make sure that we had time to travel around the time
of the conference, and along with our other travel buddy,
Mary, we saw and did so many things together. When Sherry went
off to Turkey, I took over as President of Friends of
Malaysia, but she was a constant source of support and advice.
I will miss her dearly, for we were sisters in spirit.
Margie Hazelton, Past President,
Friends of Malaysia
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Sherry
Zembower was my Great Aunt. She was my Grandma's sister. Aunt
Sherry always sent me and my brother books to show us that
reading is important. Sometimes they were chapter books, and
sometimes they were picture books. She even sent us National
Geographic Magazine to show us what was going on in the world.
She took walks with us and called us on the phone. I wish I
could have spent some time with her in Colorado. We will miss
Aunt Sherry very much.
Cynthia Poling
Age
9
(Sherry's Great-Niece)
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Sherry Rests This Day
By Thaine
Allison, Jr.
frozen
fog,
like snow but finer, sort of powdery
piled high dirty snow from previous snows
makes
us look like the twilight
zone
strange
lovely things to
see
powdery stuff clings to every surface
gathering as
crystals
on
branches
chain link fences
Colorado in the
winter
my friend Sherry rests at last
Peace Corps
Volunteer
teacher
leader amongst us
never mentioned her pain, her
fear
always her hope for a better day
far from
Malaysian tropics
days of service and exploration
this place is a better
place
because of
her
Sherry walked among us, touched our souls
she rests now
in Colorado’s winter
grace
we must walk on with out her gentle guidance
Copyright
January 2005, Thaine H. Allison, Jr.
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THE SPIRIT OF SHERRY
by Leslie
Haffner
(My son and I have been friends with Sherry
for the past 11 years. We flew out to Colorado Springs just a
few days before she passed away, and it has yet to feel real.
That she isn't here -- that we aren't driving across the
country to spend time with her again this summer -- that her
gracious and giving spirit has left us. I'd like
to share the following story about Sherry.)
My son, now
16, and I met Sherry when he began kindergarten. We became
friends immediately, and not long after, he became Charlie's
daytime walker and companion.
Our stories, now
memories, of Sherry are alive with her energy, sense of humor
and ability to persevere despite any obstacle thrown her way.
To Sherry we say, "We will always have Rampart
Reservoir."
Sherry had a bad old bike for so long,
travelling on the local bike path to the next town for lunch
with friends. In a rare moment of selfish pleasure, she bought
herself a wonderful new comfort bike -- a Raleigh with padded
seat and gleaming chrome. Years later when we told her that we
had become mountain bikers, she cheered for us and forwarded a
book on the trails in and near Colorado Springs where we would
visit her on our trip to the Rockies. We didn't get to bike
that year, but my son and I returned with our own bikes
tethered to the car from Virginia. Sherry had an agenda. A
list of places she knew were "to-sees" while in
Colorado, and she was thrilled that we were game to help her
check some of these from her list. Rampart Reservoir was one.
Friends had run there -- cross country training for Pike's
Peak. A must! It'll be wonderful! And so, with a very terse
paragraph from our trail book and some marginally decent
directions, off we three went -- two mountain bikes and a
Raleigh. We were assured that it was a pleasant ride around
the reservoir.
We arrived to find, at 13,500', a
strenuous roller-coaster of a ride that, once begun, had to be
completed as there was no bail-out point half way. Sherry and
her Raleigh prevailed, falling over rocks, skidding down dirt,
walking over giant logs. Late in the afternoon we reached the
dam -- and a thunderous, lighting infused storm that covered
Pike's and left us stranded in a concrete bathroom on the
wrong side of the dam. Cold, muddy, tired, squatting on
concrete with mushy peanut butter sandwiches and water, we
remarked that perhaps -- just perhaps -- this had been a bit
too ambitious.
In a few hours the weather abated
enough for us to complete our Tour de Rampart over roads that
surely were in the Alps until, in the dark, we arrived at our
cars. Sherry's first words upon unlocking the warmth and
shelter of her car -- "I hope Charlie is alright!"
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If
you knew Sherry and would like to share some stories or
pictures of her, please contact the Webmaster
of this site.
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