Gail Lorraine (Hageman) Sherry, aged 86, passed away peacefully on September 12, 2024, after a long battle with diabetes and dementia.

Gail was born on July 9, 1938, in Dayton, Ohio, to Rosa Mae Hicks and Russell Hageman. She grew up on a farm and often spoke of her prize-winning cow and the hard work she had to do as a child. She loved the farm. Her mother died when she was a teenager, and Gail often spoke tearfully of how much she missed her.

After graduating from Wayne High School, Gail worked at the University of Dayton as the Secretary to the Registrar. During this time, she attended the Dayton Art Institute and graduated with degree in Art.  She was a gifted artist. 

In 1968 she married her husband, Martin, the actual “boy next door” to her home in Dayton where she was living in with her sister, Karen. 

Some of her proudest accomplishments in her professional life were her contract artwork for the NASA space program. She was also proud of her work as a landscaper and gardener for a Wendy's in Kettering Ohio where she won a city beautification award. Gail also worked at Rike’s Department Store and Knollwood Garden Center. 

Gail loved to garden and could often be found outside, wearing her signature gray scarf, tending to her many plants at home in Ohio and in Colorado. She enjoyed old movies and musicals. She was also an avid reader, often bringing home grocery bags full of non-fiction biographies and history books from the library.

Gail had a beautiful singing voice and would often sing while going about her day. Her voice was so lovely she was frequently asked to sing at weddings. She loved thrift store shopping and would turn her finds into decorations for the house or upcycle them into ornaments or small craft projects. She really enjoyed doing crafts with her grandchildren. Gail was a night owl, working through the evenings and sleeping during the day. She never forgot birthdays and anniversaries, always sending a card. 

Gail loved to travel if the travel didn’t involve a plane.  She especially loved parks and traveled with her family to most of the US National parks. She loved stopping at graveyards, visiting museums and historical buildings and would make her husband stop at every scenic overlook and read every historical marker sign. When traveling she was always friendly with strangers and remembered their connections and stories years later. 

In 2007, she moved with Martin from Dayton to Longmont, Colorado, to be closer to her children and grandchildren. Though reluctant to leave her sisters as they were her best friends, and her expansive garden, she grew to love the small-town feel of Longmont and often expressed her happiness living there.

Gail was chaos and order. She had a fiery temper but was quick to laugh and love and was stubborn yet inquisitive and caring. She loved children and they always brought a smile to her face. Though she was an unconventional mother, she loved her children and her pride in their accomplishments and those of her grandchildren was without question.    

Even struggling from the effects of dementia, Gail remained complimentary to everyone, family and strangers alike. She never lost her social graces. She often lovingly told her husband what good care he took of her and how lucky she was to have him. She never lost her sense of humor, her beautiful dark wavy hair and smooth skin, her quick smile, or her love of long drives into the Colorado mountains.

Gail is survived by her husband, Martin; her children, Bruce (Terri) Sherry and Jean (Dan) Ditslear; and her grandchildren, Parker and Pierce Sherry, and Rowan and Emmett Ditslear. She is also survived by her sisters, Karen Knupp and half-sister Elizabeth Buls, and her stepsister, Ruth Huntley. She was preceded in death by her parents; her sister, Janice Vescio; her brother, Donald Hageman; and her stepbrothers, Daniel and David Smith.

A private celebration of life with family will be held in Longmont, Colorado. 

The family asks that a donation is made to the Denver Botanical Gardens in Gail’s name in lieu of gifts or flowers. https://www.botanicgardens.org/tribute-memorial-gifts