Sherry D. Gilbert

Sherry Diane (Smith) Gilbert, 67, of El Dorado Springs. passed away, Saturday, Feb. 16, 2019, at her home, after a battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Sherry was born March 25, 1951, in Butler, the only child of Charles and Georgianna Smith.

Sherry married Dennis D. Gilbert in Carthage on July 6, 1969. To this union two children were born, Shelley and Chris. Her children were her pride and joy.

Sherry was employed at Community Lumber, Tapjac and Barton’s as their bookkeeper for 19 years. She then became the Administrative Secretary at the Church of God (Holiness) for 14 years, beginning in 1998. She ended her employment at the church when it became evident her illness was in the beginning stages.

Sherry enjoyed researching family history and spent a lot of time learning the ancestry of close and extended families. In her research, she traveled to many cemeteries taking photos of family gravestones. Her family remembers many family outings that included stopping at cemeteries for pictures to add to her collections. She also spent many hours at numerous community libraries looking through microfilm in search of additional family ancestry records.

Sherry enjoyed painting throughout her life and giving her paintings to family and friends.

Sherry came to know the Lord as a young adult in the early 1970s at Bethel Freewill Baptist Church, El Dorado Springs. She spent the remainder of her life serving the Lord. Her Godly life was a living testimony to those who knew her and a legacy to her children and her entire family.

Preceding Sherry in death was her father, Charles E. Smith; her father-in-law and mother-in law, Durl and Betty Gilbert; sister-in-law, Donis Banks; and niece, Karen Sibley.

She is survived by her husband, Dennis, of the home; her daughter, Shelley Johnson, and husband Chuck, El Dorado Springs; her son, Chris Gilbert, of Springfield; her mother, Georgianna Smith and Norman, of Springfield; four grandchildren – Shelby Dunfield and husband, Zach, Blake Johnson, Chasdity Coonce and husband, Jessy, and Breann Johnson; seven great-grandchildren – Braedon, Boston, Kase, Tucker, Remington, RiverLynn and Haislee.

Survivors also include sister-in-law, Jan Bland, and husband Randy; brothers-in-law, Doug Gilbert, and wife, Carla, and Steve Banks; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Services began at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 20, in the Church of God (Holiness), with Pastor Joe Trussell officiating. The family received friends from 10 a.m. until service time. Burial followed in Clintonville Cemetery under the direction of Bland-Hackleman Funeral Home.

Pallbearers were Zach Dunfield, Matt Miller, Jessy Coonce, Kirk Sibley, Nick Bland and Mike Banks. Honorary pallbearers were Blake Johnson, Remington Dunfield, Braedon Coonce, Boston Lamb, Kase Coonce and Tucker Coonce.

Memorial donations may be made to the El Dorado Christian Day Care and left at the funeral home.

Online condolences may be left at: www.blandhackleman.com.