Eulogy
For those of you who do not know me, my name is Shelly Haffly. I am Sherry’s oldest daughter. I am honored and blessed to have you all here. Mom would be amazed and overwhelmed at the outpouring of love and support we’ve had from all her many friends these past few weeks. People she hasn’t seen in many years. Friends from long ago and different times in her life have responded with such love. She really would be surprised by the names and number of people. For all of my mother’s confidence, inside she was truly humble. Never would she believe that so many people loved her so dearly. Thank you.
Sharon Elizabeth Dillard, or as you know her - Sherry D. - was born in Beaumont Texas, on a brisk cold day on January 6, 1946. Her daddy, Ken Dillard, was a handsome young navy man; her mother, a dainty drop dead gorgeous beauty named Ruth. She was full of smiles and laughter and curly red hair. She, with her brother Kenny, and sister Debby, would run the countryside in the swamps of south Texas. She was a fearless leader even then and probably cost her siblings more than their fair share of whoopin’s. She would use her keen negotiating skills to get them to do what she wanted, and when they didn’t, she pulled out the big guns and would tauntingly sing “On a hill….far away…stood an old rugged cross….” And Kenny would always give in.
My mother lived every second of her life to its fullest and never wanted to slow down. In her early years she was a barrel racer - fearlessly running her horses as fast as they would go at angles that would seem impossible around barrels. She had three stand-out horses, Cha-Cha, Charger and Cricket. She loved them like family and spoke of them often with a gleam of excitement in her eyes and a smile on her lips. She rode bulls to prove a point – she can do whatever she sets her mind to do. She’s been proving that point her whole life.
Mom never let anything stop her from pursuing her goals. She was fiercely determined, headstrong, and opinionated. She was tough as nails. Could fight hell with a squirt gun and win. Bill’s favorite - a nuclear powered hummingbird. True Grit. Mom was a real fighter, who never quit anything in her life, and didn’t understand people who did. She never rested, and never stopped and would let you know if your slow pace got in her way. She took on every challenge with a spirit and gusto that belied her 5 foot 2 inch frame. Inside her spirit was 10 foot tall and bullet proof.
I like to say my mom loved loyal. She loved each of us, her Bill, Warren, Lisa and I, with the ferocity of a mother bear, and woe be unto anyone who hurt one of hers. She loved loyal because nothing we could do or say would stop the flow of love she had for us. She wasn’t a perfect mother or wife, but she was perfect for us. She taught us kids the lessons that make us good folk. Respect. Honor. Dignity. Pride. Independence. Self-discipline. These are the tenets that she herself lived by and she expected no less from us or the people around her. If you were her friend then you too share these qualities because she surrounded herself with people whom she could respect. She has no doubt that we will teach our children (Devon and Tami), and grandchildren these same values.
She quit smoking on December 14, 1998, the day her grandson Devon was born. She vowed to get healthy so she could be with him a good long time and be the grandmother she never got to be with Kari or Tami. She was never the ‘bake some cookies’ kind of grandma. Nope, that wasn’t her style. When you went to this grandma’s house you knew you were in for an adventure. If there was any real disappointment for her through all this, I think her missing Devon growing up was one of the top 3. She ached with regret at not being able to be there for him. Watching Lisa walk down the aisle was another one.
She wished we were all as neat and tidy as she was. She’s asked me on more than one occasion if I’d like my sinks bleached. Didn’t understand Jackie not caring about cobwebs. And never thought Lisa cleaned deep enough. When she sold her boats, they were cleaner than when she bought them. And if you wore dirty shoes in her boat or house, she’d let you know to take them off. She was the queen of multitasking. She’d be on her hands and knees cleaning the floor while we talked on the phone, or vacuuming at 3:00 in the morning. She never stopped doing something.
She was a lady angler. A real pro. She liked fishing because of the closeness to God she felt on the water. She liked fishing because it’s honorable to tell tall tales about the one that got away. Earl Bentz of Triton Boats said it best. “I knew your mom very well and have bragged on many occasions about her selling skills, her wonderful outgoing personality, and her “people skills”. I was in awe of her energy, product knowledge, and sales ability. Not only was she a wonderful ambassador for Triton and every product that she believed in, but she was quite a fisherman as well. My life was truly enriched by having met her. I am certain that God has Sherry in a place where she is catching a fish on every cast, where her line never breaks, and every fish is a nice keeper.” My mom was a keeper.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention her passion for the Pro Bull Riders. She followed them like a stalker, and loved every second of each ride. She could quote statistics on her favorite boys, tell you which ones prayed, and which ones needed prayer. She loved her Dallas Cowboys too, even though some sparkle was lost after Landry left.
She loved her job at Hopkins County Medical. She bragged at how much she and her boss Rodney loved each other. She got misty when she talked about her friends Pat, Shirley and Jackie. She loved going to work, and she honestly liked her job and all the people she met along the way.
She loved her Bill. Her Warren. Her Lisa. Her Devon and Tami. Her Shell. She loved her Sonshine sisters, Rodney and the hospital. She loved her fishing friends. She loved her Eisha. She loved her Prin. She loved her God.
Please note that I never once spoke of her cancer. It’s not who she was. It is not, and never will be, what defined my mother and she would not want you to remember her that way. She was a fiery spirit of a woman who lived life large, who loved loyal, who gave it all for all she loved. She finally rests in the arms of our mighty God, whom she served with honor. God rest her soul.
She was loved by and will be greatly missed by us all.
Thank you for coming.
October 27th, 2008 at 9:53 am
Shelly, Lisa and Warren,
My husband and I were on the boat pier, by Bill and Sherry’s place on the lake, and were fishing and trying to relax after a long day of stress. Sherry (whom we’d never met before) walked her beautiful german shepherd up to the dock and introduced Prin and herself, then proceeded to talk to us as if she’d known us for years. We told her of the circumstances which had brought us to the lake, we had recently both lost our jobs and our home and was having to temporarily stay at my parents place on the lake until we both found new jobs and a place to call home again. We also discovered that we were going to the same church. She began questioning us about our work experience/skills and you could just see the wheels turning in Sherry’s head and that beautiful smile of hers as she tells my husband (Robert) that he should meet Bill. She knew that Bill’s company was possibly looking for someone with his skills. Then we walked with her and Prin to meet Bill. He and Robert talked as Sherry and I talked and we instantly felt loved and blessed. It wasn’t long before we were both working again and getting our lives back in order and we owe it all to God for sending Sherry to us that day on the pier.
You all look so much like your mother and she talked about each of you every time we went shopping or when I would meet her for lunch. She loved you all very much and was proud of each of you! The Eulogy was beautifully written and I know Sherry was standing there beside you making sure that God knew that “these were her girls” making her so proud! God bless you all and thank you for sharing your mother with us! We loved her and will miss her.
Bill, we want you to know that we love you too and would do anything in the world for you. If you need anything or just want to talk, please don’t hesitate to call.