Sharon Smith

Sharon (Sherri) Kay Lewis Smith, age 81, passed away peacefully on Wednesday evening, August 20, 2025 at her home at Church Creek Assisted Living facility in Arlington Heights, Illinois.

Sherri was born in Concordia, Kansas on May 15, 1944 to Boyd and Lorraine Lewis.  She grew up in Concordia and graduated Concordia High School in 1962 and attended Kansas State University, working in the Manhattan Public Library while attending KSU, for several years before moving to Chicago which was her home for rest of her life.  She worked in a variety of jobs including a lengthy post as the Registrar at John Marshall Law School, before accepting a position in the Northwestern University Main Library, on the Evanston Campus. She completed her Bachelor’s degree at Northwestern and her Master’s in Library Science at Rosary College Graduate School.  She remained at Northwestern University Library for over 25 years until her retirement.

Sherri will be remembered especially for her loving kindness, her famous banana blueberry bread, her avid support of her beloved NU Wildcat football team, and her adoration of dogs.   Her most precious people included Jeff, her husband of nearly 40 years, her entire family, and her best friend, Dianne Magiera. Sherri had several dogs through the years, knew the names of every neighborhood dog and was a favorite to them all.   

Sherri was preceded in death by her husband, Jeff Smith, her parents, Boyd and Lorraine Lewis.  She is survived by her sisters, Barbara Lewis Brown (Phil), Patricia Lewis Veesart (John), and her brother, Kenneth Lewis (LeAnne) as well as her beloved nieces and nephews Erin Brown, Craig Brown (Becky), Ryan Veesart (Sara) and Laurel Veesart Frey (Andrew) and her grand-nephew, Corbin Veesart.    

Sherri and Jeff requested that no services be held and their ashes be scattered together in the Chicago area which was their chosen home for over 60 years.