Sherry Anne Gardner

Sherry Anne Reichardt Gardner, 92, of Bermuda Run, NC, was surrounded by her family on February 9, 2024, when she peacefully passed away. Sherry was born November 23, 1931, in Iowa City, Iowa, to Herbert J. Reichardt and Ethel Anne (née Sherry) Reichardt. She is preceded in death by the love of her life, Clyde J. Gardner; her parents and her brothers; her daughter, Sherry Anne Peters and her grandchildren, Andrew Gardner and Katherine (Shanks) Hood.

Her greatest joy in life was her family. Together with Clyde, they fulfilled their dream of having a large family. Sherry looked forward to any occasion to celebrate with her children and grandchildren, but especially the “beach trip” where the family gathered at Ocean Isle Beach, NC, for their annual family vacation. This tradition began in 1976, over the years expanding from one beach house to seven houses to accommodate their growing family.

She was active in her community and lived out her faith. Sherry and Clyde were founding members of Holy Family Catholic Church in Clemmons, NC. Sherry sat on the board of her HOA as the treasurer for many years and co-chaired the Crosby Golf Tournament for nearly a decade, helping to raise funds to build the Kate B. Reynolds Hospice Home in Winston Salem, NC. She worked to make life better for those around her. For leisure Sherry and Clyde enjoyed traveling and playing golf.  

Sherry was an avid sports enthusiast; her passion was basketball. First and foremost, she was eager to cheer for both shades of blue as a fan of the Duke-UNC rivalry. This year she closely followed the University of Iowa women’s basketball team with her eye on a talented Hawkeye in her record-setting season. Having been born and raised in Iowa City, Sherry attended the University of Iowa where she met Clyde Gardner who played Big 10 football with her brother, Bill. She was a drummer for The University of Iowa Scottish Highlanders, the all-female bagpipe marching band. While still attending the university, Sherry and Clyde married on December 1, 1951. They wasted no time building a big family. Before they finished school, their first child was born. By 1964, eight children were welcomed into the Gardner home. In 1974, her first grandchild was born followed by nineteen more (as she affectionately called them) “grands.” Within two decades, Sherry became a great-grandmother; she had eighteen great-grands. In 2022, her great-great grandson came into her life.  

She is survived by seven of her children, Susan (Doyle) Rankins, North Little Rock, AR; Jeanne (Charles) McDarris, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL; Patricia (Alan) Canon, Charlotte, NC; Joseph Gardner, Bermuda Run, NC; John (Kyra) Gardner, Morris Plains, NJ; Mary Fink, Charlotte, NC, and Sarah Shanks, Bermuda Run, NC. Her sister, Mary Ellen (née Reichardt) Krebs lives in Spartanburg, SC. Her legacy lives on through her thirty-seven surviving grands.

A celebration of her life will begin Thursday, February 15 with a visitation from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. at Hayworth-Miller Funeral Home & Crematory at 108 E. Kinderton Way Advance, NC. The funeral mass, preceded by the rosary, will be held at Holy Family Catholic Church in Clemmons, NC at 12:00 p.m. on Friday, February 16. The rosary begins at 11:00 a.m. An internment will follow the mass immediately in the Holy Family Columbarium. 

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests donations be made in honor of Sherry Gardner to the Kate B. Reynolds Hospice Home (https://www.trellissupport.org/) in Winston Salem, NC