Sherry Sue Schwiesow

Sherry Sue Schwiesow (nee Vanderveldt) passed away on April 26th, surrounded by her family after a courageous battle with cancer. Sherry was born on May 11th, 1961 in Astoria, Oregon to Frank Vanderveldt and Francis (Eddings) Meek. Her father passed away when she was a young girl, and after her mother, Francis remarried, her stepfather, Donald (Don) Meek took on the role of father in her life. Don’s career moved the family from the coastal Oregon area up to Centralia, Washington, where Sherry graduated from Centralia High School in 1979.

Shortly after high school, Sherry met her husband of 38 years and the love of her life, Michael Schwiesow. After he finished college, they were married and his career took them all over the country until they settled back in Chehalis, Washington, where they lived until her death. There was nothing Sherry loved more than being with her husband and children, Leah and Jacob. Later, she was so thrilled to be a grandmother when her granddaughter Zora was born.

Sherry loved working with children and was a passionate and dedicated teacher. After moving back to the Chehalis area, Sherry went back to college at obtained her teaching degree from St. Martin’s University. She taught special education at Washington Elementary School in Centralia, Washington until she retired.

She will be deeply missed by her husband Michael, her son Jacob, and her daughter Leah, her son-in-law Omar, and her granddaughter, Zora, her mother and father, Francis and Don Meek, her mother-in-law Phyllis, her brother Randy Vanderveldt, as well as her extended family and friends.

A memorial service for Sherry will be held at 11 AM at the First United Methodist Church in Centralia, Washington. As Sherry truly believed that reading to young children was one of the most important things one could do as a parent or an educator, in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Dolly Parton Imagination Library through Lewis County Rotary Foundation. Please mail donations to the following address: DPIL in memory of Sherry Schwiesow, P.O. Box 1011, Chehalis, WA 98532. 

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