Sarah “Kathy” Powers Sherry, the loving mother of four children and former chair of Wayland High School’s special education department, passed away peacefully at home on August 4, 2016, surrounded by her family.
The 60-year-old native of Connecticut, a Wayland resident since 1996, died after a seven-year struggle with metastatic breast cancer. Kathy is survived by Jay, her husband of 38 years, and her daughter Jackie Cody and husband Joe, son Brennan, daughter Meghan Leavitt and husband Jack, son Ben and his fiancée Alex Lee. She is the devoted sister of Rich Powers, Beth Powers and her husband Jorge Navarro and her late brother Terry Powers. She is also survived by her parents-in-law Hope and Jack Sherry, eleven brothers- and sisters-in-law, 22 nieces and nephews, four great-nephews and five great-nieces.
Sarah Kathleen Powers was born on October 16, 1955, to the late Richard M. Powers and Evelyn (Schaeffer) Powers. Her father was a well-known science fiction illustrator and artist. She grew up in Ridgefield, Connecticut, attending St. Mary’s School and graduating from Ridgefield High School. She was a 1977 graduate of the University of Connecticut, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in history. She began her career as a paralegal before starting her family. She received a master’s degree in bilingual special education from Fairfield University while the family lived in Newtown, Connecticut.
At Wayland High School, Kathy was a special education teacher from 1999 to 2014, serving for several years as department chair. She was co-coach of the School’s Mock Trial team for nine years through June 2016. She was active in the Wayland Boosters Association and in Good Shepherd Parish, serving as a Eucharistic minister, a member of the parish council, and a leader of the Cornerstone Retreat group for women of the parish.
The position Kathy took most seriously and perfected was being a loving mother. She cheered for her kids at their sporting competitions, sold sports apparel for Boosters, and was an accomplished tailgater and “captain’s mom” at football games. A gourmet cook, her Golden Triangles, Pizza Dip, Imperial Potatoes and Spanish Tortillas will be sorely missed by her kids. She loved to travel to see her far-flung extended family in California, Colorado and Spain, and she helped orchestrate biennial Sherry Family Reunions. She rejoiced in the role of Mother of the Bride twice in 2014, for daughters Meghan and Jackie. She delighted in her Christmas cookie swaps, her book group, her “birthday group” and her visits to Martha’s Vineyard. She made her friendships linger.
Visiting hours will be Wednesday, August 10, from 4:00 to 8:00 PM at George F. Doherty and Sons Funeral Home, 477 Washington St. (Route 16), Wellesley. Special remembrances will be at 7:30 that evening. A Mass of Christian Burial will take place 10:00 AM Thursday, August 11, at St. Zepherin Church of Good Shepherd Parish, 99 Main St., Wayland. Interment will follow at Lakeview Cemetery in Wayland, near her brother Terry. Relatives, friends and former students are invited to a reception at Kathy and Jay’s Wayland home following the burial.
At Kathy’s request, donations in her memory may be made to the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center at https://giving.massgeneral.
