Mary "Evelyn" Sherley

Born Mary Evelyn LeJeune on June 20,1952 to Robert Earl and Mary Melba LeJeune at Chennault Air Force Base in Lake Charles, Louisiana, Evelyn was a cajun queen with the perfect amount of grace and grit. Mainly raised in Iowa, Louisiana, she moved all over the country as the daughter of an air force man but ultimately landed in Texas where she met her husband of 46 plus years, Mike Sherley. Evelyn was a devoted wife, mom, and mawmaw.

Her years of work as an assistant librarian and substitute teacher for the Leander Independent School District permitted her down-to-earth ways and unconditional love to be shared with many. Students would consistently come up to visit with "Mrs. Sherley" when she was out shopping or running errands. Perhaps due to her way of getting to the heart of the matter free of any nonsense, Evelyn was trusted, and consulted, by teachers and administrators alike to handle the most trying of circumstances and students. "Problem students" so often softened and behaved for Mrs. Sherley, and she'd say it was because they knew "they'd better!" It was obvious how much she cared for her students and colleagues, which could well be why so many confided in her and considered her a friend. She fought for what she thought was right in intimate and public forums, addressing everything from the way she'd personally help a student to district funding policies. Administrators and leaders in Leander school circles who realized Mrs. Sherley was angling towards disagreeing with them would warmly smile.

She enjoyed wildflowers, music, camping, fishing, gardening, and painting. She was a masterful seamstress and superb cook - cutting patterns and making gumbos from scratch. She kept the books for many youth baseball teams. She toted many a teenager home from Leander Middle/High School. She was MawMaw to her grandkids who were always eager to go to her house and never interested in leaving.

Visitors to her house, from her children's friends to her family, could count on great hospitality and lengthy, hearty discussions. She kept a pulse on current affairs and she made sure her children did. She could almost always be found briskly working her way through a novel. She was always there for her kids. She always cared. She was great company who made a mark on countless lives. She effortlessly loved in a way that can be hard to come by. She was truly an awesome wife, mother, and grandmother.

She navigated the ups and downs of her recent cancer diagnosis like a soldier, often impressing doctors and nurses with her positivity and kindness. Unfortunately, she experienced complications after contracting Covid in September and left us on October 2, 2023. She will be missed terribly by all.

She was preceded in death by her parents and survived by her husband Mike Sherley, her daughter Lyndsey Anne Ware, her sons Casey Micheal Sherley and Jody Lee Jeanis Jr., her grandsons Ira Ray Fowler, James William Sherley, Levi Micheal Jeanis, Joe Lee Jeanis, and Jaden Allen Jeanis and her sister Roberta Lee LeJeune Broussard Lozano.

A memorial service will be held at 2pm CST on October 21, 2023 at Round Mountain Baptist Church in Leander. The address for Round Mountain Baptist Church is 14500 Round Mountain Road, Leander, Texas, 78641.

We thank you for celebrating Evelyn’s life with us, for your presence at the memorial, your kind words spoken, the flowers and plants sent, and all of your prayers. She was an incredible woman, a one of a kind wife, mother, grandmother, sister, neighbor, and friend.

Thank you all for sharing and keeping her genuine spirit alive.

- With love from Mike & family.