April 27, 1937 - September 12, 2017
Sherry (Cronkite) (Church) Freshwater Obituary
Sherry was born April 27, 1937 and passed from lung cancer on September 12. Her first job was waiting tables at Fernies, her moms caf on Sprague Avenue. Playfair Race Course was located nearby and staff there made up a significant part of the clientele. During that time, Sher developed a love of horse racing, as well as friendships with owners, trainers, jockeys and others who followed the racing circuit. She eventually joined them, waitressing for many years at courses in Portland, Phoenix and Spokane during their respective seasons.
After moving back to Spokane, she met and married Jay Freshwater in 1982. Several years later, they bought their home. Jay recalls the day Sherry looked out into the neglected yard and said, Im going to have fun with this! She studied books and listened to Phyllis Stephens program every Saturday. This led to her lifelong passion for gardening. She turned their yard into a paradise, including a Koi pond! Sherry, with no knowledge or experience, built it almost single-handedly, and it was spectacular. All who saw it were in awe. Jay was so incredibly proud of her. That pond became home to seven Koi. She loved them like children, naming each to match its personality. She nurtured them for the next 19 years.
Sherry had the most sentimental heart. Her most prized possessions where not things most consider valuable, but the little things, pictures and other small gifts made or picked by those she loved. She displayed many, reminding her of warm feelings felt when she received them. During the weeks before her passing, Sherry spent untold time hand-selecting possessions to pass on to her family with hopes they would not only love them, but also understand why each was chosen.
Sherry loved her family with fierce devotion. She was pre-deceased by her grandmother, Adrienne Aslin, and mother, Fern Licht, who, together, raised her and her sister in the family home. During her grandmothers final, infirmed years, Sher often helped care for her. Sherry phoned her mom at least once a day, which was especially important when Fern began suffering from dementia. Sherrys daily calls and reminders allowed her mom to live independently in her home for years.
Sherry leaves behind her husband of 35 years, Jay, sister, Kathy Frye (Don), nieces, Danielle Allert and Denise Packer, grand-nieces and nephews, Brandon, Joshua, and Angela Packer, and Zachary and Madison Hastert. Cousins, Will, Ann and Joan Aslin were her most treasured and loved friends.
Memorial contributions can be made to Hospice House. Staff members there did a heroic job caring for her and keeping her pain under control during those last days. At Sherrys request, no services were held.
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