February 25, 1972 - February 25, 2023
It is with profound sadness that we share that after a bravely fought battle with cancer, Sheri Dawn Jackson, born February 25th, 1972, passed away in the comfort of her home on February 25th, 2023. Always a lover of her birthday, we find comfort in the fact that she transitioned on a day that was special to her - her 51st birthday.
Sheri was born in Calgary Alberta and spent her early teen years excelling in sports, setting records in track and field, leading her basketball and volleyball teams to championships, and excelling as a gymnast. Despite never having played baseball herself, she would go on to become a die-hard Blue Jays fan later in life. During her childhood summers, she enjoyed the outdoors and spent as much time as she could at the lake with her parents, Connie and Jerry Kuntz, and her 3 siblings, Buffy, Michael, and Brian.
Her love of the outdoors eventually led her to BC, where she and her husband Tim, settled down and began their family which would quickly grow to include their daughter Latesha, and their two sons, Raphael and Keyshon. After trying out some of the communities in the lower mainland, the family eventually settled in Kelowna in 2002.
Always an extremely social woman, Sheri was quick to find her community. First with the parents of the children playing baseball with Raphael and Keyshon at the Edith Gay ballfield, then with her coworkers at the Capital News/Black Press, and again with the women she played volleyball with for 7 years. In all these groups, Sheri could always be counted on as the one who would supply the jokes and the positivity needed to uplift everyone around her, regardless of circumstances. She was a deeply loyal friend and was known to make herself available to lend an ear or a shoulder to anyone in need with the only condition being that there must be coffee. She cherished each of her friendships and was extremely grateful for the kindness extended to her by her friends as she became ill.
As supportive as Sheri was to her friends, colleagues, and community, her ultimate commitment was always to her family. As mothers often are, Sheri was the anchor of our family. It was non-negotiable to her that each of us were to treat others as we wanted to be treated, that we remain grateful for what we have and empathetic to the struggles of others. She encouraged us to see through to completion anything that we had committed to, and most importantly that we understood the importance of looking out for each other, no matter what. Her greatest accomplishment, she expressed often, was having raised what she called 'damn good kids."
Sheri is survived by her husband of 30 years, Tim, her daughter, Latesha, her son Raphael, her parents Connie and Jerry, her Niece Ashley, her father-in-law Wayne, and her extended family - all of whom will miss her deeply and forever cherish the time spent with her.
We would like to share that Sheri's battle with cancer was fought by her, until the very end, with an extremely positive attitude and sense of humor. While we attribute this in large part to her nature and resilience, we would like to acknowledge the incredible teams at Interior Health BC, The BC Cancer Agency at KGH, Kelowna Hospice House, and the Community Palliative Care Nursing Team.