Sherry Madden Neary
ST. IGNATIUS — Sherry Madden Neary was born in Wenatchee, Washington, on Jan. 9, 1936, to Mack and Lola Madden. The family moved to Los Angeles, California, when Sherry was 6 years old due to Sherry’s need for a heart operation. Unfortunately the operation was not completely successful and Sherry was physically restricted from doing almost everything until the age of 14 when she had a second operation that was successful, giving her a whole new lease on life.
From 1951-1954 she went on to attend Burbank High School in Burbank, California, where she joined various clubs, became a song-leader at sporting events and participated in the school’s Christian Club.
After high school Sherry attended Pepperdine University in Los Angeles, California, for three and one-half years. On Dec. 14, 1957, she and Frank D. Neary eloped in order to be married in Las Vegas, Nevada.
In the mid-1960s in Placentia, California, she joined a Catholic Church group called the Legion of Mary. She and the group went door-to-door to talk to fallen-away and troubled Christians.
In the 1970s Sherry found her true calling. She advocated for and protected victims of domestic violence. She worked with the prosecution and provided vital court testimonies that were able to protect women from any further domestic violence. She worked at safe shelters for the homeless and at abused mothers’ and children’s shelters in Jamestown, North Dakota.
In 1998 Sherry and her husband Frank moved to St. Ignatius, where both of them retired. However, Sherry felt she had a calling and a purpose for being here on the Flathead Indian Reservation. During her entire adult life, Sherry had been researching and acquiring all that was available about American Indian tribes, culture, heritage, traditions and spirituality. She had a great love and respect for Indian people. Sherry and Frank together went to many powwows and made many good Native American friends. Sherry and Frank both felt blessed by God because they were able to live in such a beautiful Valley with so many of God’s beautiful people.
In 2014 Sherry was diagnosed with cancer at the bottom of her tongue. She opted to have a quarter of her tongue surgically removed in hopes that all the cancer was isolated there. Unfortunately that was not the case. She chose not to have another surgery, chemotherapy or radiation because of the location of her cancer.
Frank wanted to share with the community that Sherry peacefully passed away at home in his arms. Sherry was and will always be the love of his life. She is resting now with our Lord and savior Jesus Christ; she is no longer suffering and she is finally free of pain.
Survivors of Sherry are her husband of 59 years, Frank D. Neary; sons, Mark Neary, Keith Neary, and John Neary; daughter Ann Hoggarth, 16 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.
Sherry’s parents Mack and Lola Madden and her daughter Karen Neary precede her in death.
Services have taken place.
