Sharon (Sherri) Kay Lewis Smith, 81, passed away peacefully on Wednesday evening, Aug. 20, 2025 at her home at Church Creek Assisted Living facility in Arlington Heights, Illinois.
Sherri was born in Concordia, Kan., on May 15, 1944, to Boyd and Lorraine Lewis. She grew up in Concordia and graduated from Concordia High School in 1962 and attended Kansas State University, working in the Manhattan Public Library while attending KSU, for several years before moving to Chicago which was her home for the rest of her life. She worked in a variety of jobs including a lengthy post as the registrar at John Marshall Law School, before accepting a position in the Northwestern University Main Library, on the Evanston Campus. She completed her Bachelor’s degree at Northwestern and her Master’s in Library Science at Rosary College Graduate School. Sherri reveled in meeting new people, learning their names and helping them in the library. She remained in her job for over 25 years until her retirement.
Sherri will be remembered especially for her loving kindness and wonderful laugh, her famous banana blueberry bread, her avid support of her beloved NU Wildcat football team, and her adoration of dogs. Her most precious people included Jeff, her husband of nearly 40 years, her family and her best friend, Dianne Magiera. Sherri had several dogs through the years, knew the names of every neighborhood dog and was a favorite to them all.
Sherri was preceded in death by her husband, Jeff Smith, her parents, Boyd and Lorraine Lewis and her stepdaughter, Nancy Smith Ledvina. She is survived by her sisters, Barbara Lewis Brown (Phil), Patricia Lewis Veesart (John), and her brother, Kenneth Lewis (LeAnne) as well as her beloved nieces and nephews Erin Brown, Craig Brown (Becky), Ryan Veesart (Sara) and Laurel Veesart Frey (Andrew) and her grand-nephew, Corbin Veesart. She was also survived by her stepdaughter, Linda Smith Sigel, and her step-grandchildren, Robin Ledford (Erwin), John Sigel (Emily), Daniel Sigel (Annalee), Yasmin Borochov (Ariel), and her step-great grandchildren, Esra Sigel, Marissa and Maeve Sigel, and Jacob and Ellie Borochov.
Sherri and Jeff requested that no services be held, and their ashes be scattered together in the Chicago area which was their chosen home for over 60 years.
