Sharon Tanya Wagner

December 31, 1943 - January 2, 2022

Dear God, Just wanted to send a thank you note for your gift of Sheri Wagner, our beloved animal-loving, shy but talky, compassionate mother, grandmother and friend. You took her a couple days after her 78th birthday after a lengthy battle with kidney disease. On behalf of her family and friends, we are so grateful to have known her. We have written her obituary below to let the world know of her passing and trust that you will make sure Sheri sees it, and knows how much she is loved. Sharon Tanya Campbell was born on New Year’s Eve in 1943 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to William Campbell and Tatiana Simakoff and grew up with one sibling, a younger sister. When asked about her childhood, Sheri would simply comment that she was very shy and introverted, yet those that knew Sheri may think otherwise. She loved being around people yet didn’t crave attention, a refreshing trait so often overlooked in our world. Indeed, Sheri would engage anyone in a conversation, suggesting perhaps she was an extrovert at heart. A few years after graduating Washington High School in Milwaukee, she married Robert August Wagner in 1967 after an apparently very successful blind date. They moved to Sandy, Utah a few years later for her husband’s work. She often commented that the Salt Lake City area was the most beautiful place she’d ever seen. In 1978, her husband’s work brought them back to the Midwest where they lived in Vernon Hills, Illinois which is a suburb north of Chicago. Tragically, she was widowed in 1986 when her husband died suddenly of a heart attack and a couple years later, Sheri moved with her two daughters to Plano, Texas to a duplex that was shared with her parents who had retired in Texas years earlier. She lived in Texas for 20 years – both in Plano, then Houston – until 2017 when she moved to northern Colorado. She always loved the beauty of the mountains. Her final apartment in Loveland, Colorado where she moved in 2020 had a gorgeous view of the Rocky Mountains which she particularly enjoyed in her final weeks. Sheri had a healthy sense of humor and never took herself too seriously. She liked laughing and liked making people laugh and had a knack for saying exactly what she was thinking, without filters, in a way that just seemed to make people chuckle. Sometimes quirky, often self-deprecating, always lovable, Sheri sought simple pleasures like good food, or music or scenery. She never felt the need to make grandiose plans or impress people. And although shy, she did love to be around people. She was particularly sensitive to others in pain, especially animals and had a really soft heart for the struggling souls in the world. Sheri spent much of her adult life taking care of children – both her own and, when her daughters were grown, others’ children. She ran a home day care business first in Illinois and then Texas and babysat for various agencies over the course of several years. She also became a nanny for several families over the years, many of whom kept in touch long after the kiddos had grown up. And, of course, she was always there to help out with her grandkids. She loved holding infant babies, especially her grandchildren and spent a lot of time babysitting them in their early years. ‘Grandma’ was always up for a game of Chinese Checkers or a good movie. At a moment’s notice, she would drive, pick up, cook for, run errands or whatever was needed. Sheri was always willing to help, often on short notice and never said no. People who knew Sheri know she loved animals. Her adult years were marked by pets galore – every conventional animal was a pet of Sheri’s once upon a time: fish, dogs, cats, birds, guinea pigs, even horses. Although Sheri did not ride horses herself, she spent countless evenings “at the barn” supporting her husband and daughters in nurturing their own love affair with animals. It’s not an exaggeration to say not a day in her adult life was spent without some kind of pet, even if it was just a few fish, as in her final months. She just loved taking care of animals and always did. Early in her marriage, she had many dogs and even became a dog groomer and breeder. Although she and her husband Bob had Labradors in the early years, Sheri was particularly fond of two breeds: wire hair fox terriers and her most beloved, the poodle. She had poodles for most of her adult life. Black, Red, Cream, Miniature, Standard – she loved everything poodle. It seems the breed had gained favor lately as its popularity grew in recent years, but as the proverbial statement goes – Sheri loved poodles before loving poodles was cool. But as much as Sheri loved dogs, she adored her pet birds all the more. It all started at a garage sale in Illinois that was selling pet birds. Sheri fell in love on the spot and came home with two finches, sparking an interest in pet birds that lasted the rest of her life. She had finches, parrots, budgies and cockatiels and many had babies which she would faithfully feed with a teensy eyedropper so they would grow up tame and friendly pets. In fact, more than a few people she knew endearingly called her “The Bird Lady.” In a world where communication is usually electronic, Sheri never stopped engaging the lost art of sending handwritten letters. And she always sent cards for every holiday to her beloved grandchildren, even for holidays not usually associated with greeting cards, like Halloween and Easter. For kids growing up in the 21st century, getting actual mail from Grandma was always a treat. In one particular instance, she learned that her daughter’s husband had just lost his beloved dog of many years. Having understood firsthand the bond of a dog and their owner and the pain accompanying such a loss, Sheri sent a sympathy card and handwritten note in the mail to her son-in-law. He was so touched. This is just one example of Sheri’s gentle kindness that she gave daily. Sheri also loved knitting. Known for making lots of scarves and hats, she made countless handmade gifts for people especially, again, her grandchildren. When she was healthy, she absolutely loved yarn stores and could spend hours perusing the isles of soft yarns. A cozy yarn store, especially if it happened to be near a pet store, was her happy place. And although seemingly out of character for a knitting, mild-mannered elderly lady, Sheri had a unique appreciation for high end electronics. She might not have been adept at working her smart phone, but her stereos had thumpin’ base and her TVs high resolution. Other interests of Sheri include playing cello, handcrafting her own jewelry, the color teal (which was obvious if you ever stepped foot in her apartment or closet), the actor Sam Elliot, curly hair especially if it was styled in a mullet (her favorite haircut on anyone), anything coconut flavored or vanilla smelling, and good TV. In the years before Sheri’s health began to decline and even after, she absolutely loved to dance. Even in her final years, she would move to music whenever she could. In the 1970s and 1980s, she and her husband Bob would go country & western dancing often. She loved disco, too, and definitely had a knack for getting’ her groove on. Young at heart in many ways, Sheri migrated toward upbeat, feel-good, popular tunes – seemingly having more in common with younger generations when it came to music. Sheri was fortunate to have found real love twice in a lifetime – first with her husband of 19 years, who died unexpectedly when Sheri was only 42 and again a few decades later in 2010 when she was 67 years old. It was then that she met her second love, T.O., who remained her sweetheart until his death in 2017. She loved both men dearly. Sheri is preceded in death by her father, mother, sister and husband. She is survived by two daughters – Kimberly Coolidge (Wagner), married to Brian Coolidge, who live in Houston, Texas; and Niki Herms (Wagner), married to Dean Herms who live in Fort Collins, Colorado. She is also survived by a granddaughter (Katie Coolidge) and four grandsons: Joe Coolidge, Teddy Herms, Nicholas Herms and William Herms. And of course, Sheri is survived by many long-time and dear friends. A private ceremony will be held by the family to honor Sheri, aka Mom, aka Grandma. Sheri did a good job with her life. She leaves behind no debt, no crisis, no unfinished business, and no ill feelings with anyone – only feelings of gratitude for having known her. Her gentle spirit remains. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Memorial Hermann Foundation in Houston, Texas at www.memorialhermann.org/grateful