On July 18, 2022, Sherry Dell Civil walked OUT of her 12-year-old wheelchair and walked thru the Pearly Gates looking for her Jesus AND the choir director.

Services will be at 12:00 P.M. on Friday, July 29, 2022 at the First Baptist Church of Canyon with Rev. Gene Jones officiating.  Interment will be on Saturday, July 30, 2022 in Portales Cemetery in Portales, NM at 12:00 P.M. (New Mexico time) (1:00 P.M. Texas time).  The family will receive friends from 5:00 to 7:00 P.M. on Thursday, July 28, 2022 at Brooks Chapel in Canyon.

Sherry Dell Civil was born July 31, 1938 in Sweetwater, Texas to Alton and Mary Kent. Around age 8, the family moved to Bovina on a wheat farm. They moved again at age 11 to Floyd, New Mexico, farming again. The family attended Bethel Baptist Church where she moved thru all the steps of GA’s, studying a lot about missionaries. She graduated from Floyd High School in 1956. She attended one semester at Mary Harden Baylor College, changing the next semester to Plainview, Texas, Wayland Baptist College, and at the summer break and while home on the farm, she met one of those dreaded ‘airmen’ from Cannon AFB, NM.

She and Bob Civil joined in marriage on December 15, 1957. She was now, officially an Air Force wife. They were off to Alexandria, Louisiana for 18 months and the birth of Jeffrey Duane. Transfer time, Southern Japan was next. It was near the town of Fukouka, where a dozen missionaries were serving the Lord, she found her dream assignment from her teenage years. Different cultures began to blend together for her. She did get a day trip to Hiroshima. Three years later a transfer came to Clovis, NM, 20 odd miles from home. Her husband was often “off yonder somewhere”, this time it was Turkey and his first trip to Vietnam, where he was hurt, obviously not fatally. Transfer time to Phoenix, Arizona, but only for a year. Now is when he got sent back to Vietnam for a year, by this time he was Technical Sergeant. Almost enough pay to live on. Kimberly Celeste was born in Arizona, July 4, 1965. Numerous times during that year Sherry watched TV as it displayed a burning and exploding base burning in Vietnam, she knew that was his base. As she waited, wondering each time, if an official car would pull up on the farm with bad news (Mail took 14 days round trip). It never happened; he arrived home safely, with an assignment to Germany for 4 years.

European travel was not expensive, she went over the Alps, saw Rome, Switzerland, Amsterdam, Brussels, the site of the Battle of the Bulge and more. The Cold War was raging in the early 70s, duty was calling day and night for Bob, but two more promotions came in that tour. Next stop for Sherry was “Upper Michigan” for only 9 months, one winter of 201 inches of snow. Off to the Philippines and HOT weather for two years. A live-in maid made life good. Next stop was to the shores of the Gulf of Mexico, Fort Walton Beach, Florida. Less than one year later, another assignment came in. Bob retired instead.

While attending Mary Esther Baptist Church there in Florida, two life changing events happened. The family began “fostering” a Vietnamese child. Fostering is most often short termed. Her name was Ha Thuy Vu. No English spoken. She now has given us great grandkids. The other major happening was when God called Bob to be a pastor. After acquiring two master’s degrees, they moved to Clarkston, Washington, the first of five small Baptist churches: Yakima, Wash, Kellogg, Idaho, Butte, Montana, ending up in Tucumcari, NM. Sherry discovered that a pastor’s wife’s ‘expected duties’ are often quite different; she just adjusted and hung in there, thru ‘thick and thin.’ She often was piano player, song leader or VBS leader.

Retirement is mainly a husband’s life, little changing for her, BUT BOTH DECLARED NO MORE MOVING. This was the 37th house she set up for the family. Her main passion has been singing and sewing. Now it was her turn. All was fine until May 29, 2010, when a major stroke put her flat on her back unable to use her arms or legs or intelligible languages. Apparently, no hope normally.

But this was not to be. Her quote was, “I guess God has something yet for me to do.” Rehabilitation was mostly complete the first year, but in reality, it never ends, no more choir time, no more walking, shopping alone was no more, no driving herself someplace, no long trips, etc. But sewing, needlepoint and cross stitch took over. Her main issue was always, it has to be done right, no mistakes, even only one handed. She had taught quilting and judged quilt shows, thus was somewhat a perfectionist. Since then, she has finished 6 quilts with one hand. She finally has heard from her Lord that she has finished what He has had for her to do.

Sherry was preceded in death by her parents and a daughter, Kimberly Civil.  Survivors include her husband, Bob Civil; son, Jeffrey D. Civil and wife, Nancy; daughter, Samantha Richmond and husband, Kevin; five grandchildren, Lauren Osborn and husband, Brinn, and Darian Clem and husband, Heath, Michael Civil, Christina, and Joshua Maulolo; seven great-grandchildren; brother, Tommy Kent and wife, Karen; and sister, Sally Jackson.