Sherry Ann Scarborough Thornton, age 83, of Tyler, Texas passed away on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Sherry was born on June 17, 1940 to Joseph "Dean" Scarborough and Nell Eugenia Howard Scarborough in Mount Pleasant, Texas. Sherry was the oldest of seven children. She grew up attending Farmer's Academy Schools near Mount Pleasant. She graduated from Mt. Pleasant High School in 1958. She then attended Federal Institute in Tyler.
Sherry and her family moved to Tyler in 1960. Sherry worked as an operator for Southwestern Bell in Tyler and was on duty when President Kennedy was shot - a story she told often. Sherry and Doug met on a blind date and married in Tyler in 1964. They lived in Dallas and Wichita Falls among other places until the birth of their daughter, Lori, in 1967 when they moved back to Tyler where they remained. Doug and Sherry were married for 54 years. Sherry stayed at home to raise her children, returning to work once they were teens and in college. She worked for 14 years at Southside State Bank until she retired in 2007.
Sherry never met a stranger. She loved to talk. When her mother once asked her how she could just talk to anybody and everybody, she answered, "They are just people like us." She loved people ad was known for her kindness and compassion. Everyone who met her knew what a special person she was. She will be deeply missed by many people - family and life-long friends.
Sherry loved music, especially Gospel, and wrote and sang her own songs. She also wrote poetry and stories of her childhood and early life on the farm in Mt. Pleasant. Sherry also liked to sing karaoke, where she sang a variety of old standards. She was a favorite among the regular crowd, performing just 2 weeks before her death.
Sherry is preceded in death by her husband, Douglas "Doug" Thornton, parents Nell and Dean Scarborough, brothers Joey and Johnny Scarborough, and sister Reba Scarborough Caraway.
Sherry is survived by her son Jason Thornton (Tyler), daughter Lori Thornton Allen and son-in-law Chris Allen, granddaughter Miranda Allen (St. Louis, MO), brother Jimmy Scarborough, and sisters Mary Sue Carter and Nelda Cox, among many nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews.
A time of visitation will be held at Lloyd James Funeral Home on Saturday, May 4, 2024 from 4-7pm, located at 1011 E. First Street, Tyler, Texas, 75701. A funeral service will be held in the Lloyd James Chapel on Sunday, May 5, 2024, at 2pm, followed by burial at Bridges Chapel Cemetery in Mount Pleasant, Texas.
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