Sherry Polson, 81, of rural Paxton, passed away on Sunday, December 25, 2022 at 1:50 a.m. at Carle Foundation Hospital, Urbana, Illinois.

Visitation will be from 4-7 pm on Friday, December 30, 2022 at Baier Family Funeral Service, 406 E Pells, Paxton. A private graveside burial service will be at a later date in Glen Cemetery, Paxton.

Sherry Lee Polson was born on October 15, 1941, in Bloomington, Illinois, the daughter of Jack Hoover and Viola Atkins Hoover. She married Glen "Hoot" Polson on December 2, 1970 in Paxton. He survives. Also surviving are daughters Dana (Greg) Francis, Midland, Michigan; Jennifer (Adam) Holleman, Champaign; son Brett Polson, Champaign; grandsons Zach (Jessica) Francis, Saginaw, Michigan; Josh (Tasha) Francis, Sanford, Michigan; and Jack Holleman, Champaign; great-grandsons Easton and Weston Francis, Sanford, Michigan; and great-grandaughters Carys and Emerie Francis, Saginaw, Michigan. She is also survived by her sister Nancy (Tom) Ashley, Lincoln; niece Tara (Bryan) Schmeiser, Carmel, Indiana; nephew J.T. (Chelsea) Ashley, Lincoln; and great nephews Cale and Luke Schmeiser, Carmel, Indiana; great niece Rowan Ashley and great nephew Brooks Ashley, Lincoln. She was preceded in death by her parents; sister Linda Hoover, paternal grandparents Louis and Lenora Strange Hoover; and maternal grandparents William Walker Atkins and Minnie McGuire Atkins.

Mrs. Polson graduated from Paxton Community High School in 1959. She was a United States Air Force Civil Service employee for several years at Chanute AFB, IL, Lackland AFB, TX, and Ramstein AB, Germany. She was later employed at the Paxton Community Hospital until its closure and then was employed for several years at Christie Clinic Psychiatry, Champaign. She retired as office manager of Undergraduate Academic Affairs in the College of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Illinois in 2013. She received several awards while at the university including the Staff Excellence Award from the College of Applied Health Sciences in 2005 and 2008 and the University of Illinois Chancellor's Distinguished Staff Award in 2011. She has served as the Button Township clerk for several years.

Mrs. Polson developed a love for bluegrass and country music from her father who played guitar and mandolin and for southern gospel quartet music from her father and mother who sang and played guitar in gospel groups at church for many years. Her hobbies included reading, especially mysteries, watching British television mysteries, watching the finches and many other birds perched on the bird feeder hanging from a tree her father planted outside her kitchen window, and spending time with her family. She enjoyed researching her Norwegian, English, Scottish, and Irish ancestry and had made contact with distant relatives whom she had found online.

Mrs. Polson was a conscientious and dedicated employee, respected and loved by many. She was a kind-hearted soul who put the needs of others before herself throughout her life. She leaves behind a legacy that taught her children and grandchildren the importance of kindness and that everyone should be treated equally and with respect. Her absence is devastating for us all but we will continue to remember the impacts, small and large, she made on all of our lives.

"In a world where you can be anything, be kind." -Unknown

Memorials may be made to the American Tinnitus Association or the Department of Speech and Hearing Science at the College of Applied Health Sciences, University of Illinois, 901 South Sixth Street, Champaign, Illinois, 61820. Memories and condolences can be shared with the family at www.baierfuneralservices.com.