Sherry “S.J.” John Schaub
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This Wednesday, Sherry Schaub went to be in the presence of his Lord and now is dancing on the streets of gold with his and Carol’s two daughters who preceded him to Heaven. He is also singing praises to his Lord in a voice more beautiful than can be imagined!
Homegoing services for Sherry “S.J.” John Schaub, 76, Lawrence will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, February 3, 2018 at Lawrence Free Methodist Church in Lawrence. Burial will be held at 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, February 6, 2018 at Rose Hill Cemetery in Spearfish, SD. He passed away Wednesday, January 31, 2018 at Lawrence Memorial Hospital.
The family will greet friends from 9:30 – 11am on Saturday, prior to the service at Free Methodist Church.
Sherry was born February 3, 1941 in Belle Fourche, SD, the son of John and Bernice (Middlemas) Schaub. He grew up in Spearfish, SD, where his parents ran a Mobil Oil business and local motel.
He married his High School Sweetheart, Carol Joyce Knutson June 10, 1962 in Spearfish, SD.
He is survived by his loving wife Carol.
Additional survivors include his daughters. Stacy Looney with husband, Keith, and grandchildren, Hayley, Jackson and Megan. Dea Burmingham with husband, Larry, and grandchildren, Rebecca and Spencer. Sherry was also preceded in death by two daughters, Tamara Jo, and Rebecca Jo.
For the record, “Sherry” wasn’t always an easy name for a man to have, and it often confused folks when they first met him. So it’s not surprising that he went by several different names among family and friends: S.J; Bubba; Rambo; Sherry John; Sonny; Dad; Poppy; and Mr. Schaub. Sherry grew up in the Black Hills of South Dakota, hunting with his Dad and his dog. This forged a lifelong love of God’s creation. Later in life, he was able to cultivate this love through ATV trips with Carol and close friends, where he was also known by another name, “The Leader of the Pack.” No matter what name we called him by, we are all glad to call him “friend.”
Sherry graduated from Iowa State University with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering. He also received his Master of Science in Business Management from Northern Illinois University, and PMD with the Executive Business Program from Harvard Business School.
Sherry began his professional career as an Engineer with the Beloit Corporation. He worked with IBM and the Ingersoll Milling Company. He completed his professional career with the Quaker Oats Company, serving there for 25 years in a number of roles. It was the Quaker Oats Company that first brought him to the Lawrence community in 1977 to begin the start-up for the Kibbles ‘N Bits Pet Foods plant in North Lawrence, causing his family to wonder whether he might always smell like dog food! In 1986, Sherry took a role as VP of Operations with the Golden Grain Division in the San Francisco Bay Area. In 1990, he returned to the Quaker home office in Chicago, where he served as the Vice President and Chief Purchasing Officer for the company. In 1998, when Sherry retired, he and Carol returned and made their home in Lawrence again.
During both his professional and retirement life, Sherry served on a volunteer basis in the Lawrence community in a number of ways beginning with his church, with the Lawrence Chamber, and also with numerous other organizations in Lawrence.
Sherry’s faith in the Lord Jesus Christ was central to every part of his life. He was a member of the Lawrence Free Methodist Church in Lawrence where he served in many ways. Sherry has actively participated in and coordinated numerous Gospel-based mission trips to serve the needy throughout the globe. He also served with many Christian ministries and charitable groups, and most especially with Kids Alive Ministries.
Most prominent and consistent throughout Sherry’s entire life has been his love of music. He has coordinated and participated in countless quartets, choirs and assorted choral groups. At one point, Sherry even worked on producing the weekly Christian music television program, “Quest for Life.” His life verse from scripture is from Psalm 33:1, capturing his love for both music and Christ, “Sing joyfully to the Lord!”
Memorial contributions may be made in Sherry Schaub’s name to Lawrence Free Methodist Church and Kids Alive International. These may be sent in care of Warren-McElwain Mortuary.
Our thoughts and prayers are with you at this time. He was a wonderful man who truly lived his faith. May he Rest In Peace.
We are saddened by the loss of our good friend, but rejoice, too, knowing that Sherry is now with the Lord he loved so much. Praying that God will bless you in many ways now and in the coming weeks.
Prayers to the family. He was an awesome plant manager and person. Every day he would go around and speak to to everyone in the plant. He nee everyones name. Missed him when he left. Sorry for your loss.
I served alongside Sherry as a member of the Board of Directors of the Kansas Bioscience Authority. During some tough times, I found Sherry to be calm, resourceful, reasonable, helpful, and always constructive. After reading the obituary, I find that description to be fairly accurate. He will be missed. He was a good man.
Praying for you all as you grieve your loss!! Praising God Sherry knew the Lord and is rejoicing in Heaven!
Our community and even the world is a better place because of Sherry Schaub. I will miss him and his positive attitude that helped to make our community a better place to live and work. And yes, he loved music, and we missed singing with Sherry and Carol in the Lawrence Civic Choir when their schedules no longer allowed them to join us.
Dearest Carol,
Sherry will be greatly missed on our Kids Alive International board. He was a pillar of wisdom & strength. Randy & I so enjoyed our time with you both in Guatemala and will always treasure that memory.
In Christ’s love,
Randy & Jeri Gort
Sherry was a great friend of mine and in many ways was a spiritual mentor for me. Oh how I respected him, looked up to him and loved him. Yesterday morning, when I was informed of Sherry’s passing into Glory, I could not help but imagine that at 805 am on January 31, Sherry was met with the open arms of Jesus who said to him, “Well done, my faithful and loving servant. You have courageously fought the fight; you have run and finished the race with perpetual zeal and love for me and all of humanity, particularly for your family, friends and specifically orphan children; you have kept the faith. WELCOME HOME, Sherry, to receive your crown of righteousness.” I will miss him dearly and all of the great conversations we have had over the years. The radiant light in his life will continue to be a spark of hope and inspiration for me for the rest of my days. Thank you, Sherry. Phil 3:14
Mack Handen
Carol, our deepest condolences to you and family. Sherry was a great mentor and a truly great man. I fondly cherish the time I worked for him. We know he is sitting with God, having an in depth conversation about faith and life.
The Eveleths would like to express our condolences to the family. Our prayers are with you!
It was a pleasure having him as our plant manager.My Deepest Sympathy and prayers to the family.
Your family took me in as another daughter while I ventured to live in the Bay Area. Sherry was an amazing dad, husband and friend to so many people. He lived a great life giving back to so many people. Sending love and prayers to this special family! love you all! Carla
The heavens are singing his praises and in my heart I hope he’s singing loud and clear along with all his loved ones who have been awaiting his arrival. Sherry touched so many lives including mine. I was blessed to be able to meet and spend time with this wonderful man. Keeping Sherry’ and his loved ones in my prayers.
Carol, Paul and I were so sorry to hear about Sherry. Paul found a kindred spirit in Sherry after they had met, and always enjoyed his discussions with Sherry. We have you in our thoughts and will see you Tuesday.
Carol – I was encouraged by the most recent note on here from Sherry. Then tonight feel as tho’ I’ve been punched out. I applaud you for suggesting we read the info. on here, but I am so very sorry about your loss. I know Carl always enjoyed his visits with Sherry when you were able to drop by, so I hope they get together soon “on the other side”. You and your family will be in my prayers as the next chapter of your lives is being written. You’re a longtime friend, and I love you and yours.
While we rejoice with you that Sherry is singing praises before his glorious Savior, we also grieve with you, dear friends. We love you and pray for you you to know God’s nearness today and in the days ahead.
My thoughts and prayers are with you during these difficult days. May God continue to bless your family.
I had the pleasure of meeting Sherry for the first time in the mid ‘80’s when I was working at the Quaker Frozen Food plant in Jackson, TN. At that time Sherry was plant manager at the new Quaker Pet Food plant in Lawrence, KS. Little did I know at that time, in less than 10 years I would be working for Sherry in Procurement at the Quaker Corporate Headquarters in Chicago, IL.
I worked for many managers during my 33 year career with Quaker/PepisCo, but I can say without any hesitation that Sherry was the finest, Christian manager that I ever had the honor and privilege of working for during my career.
I could never begin to express the admiration and respect that I had for Sherry and his strong Christian faith.
I will miss seeing and talking with Sherry, but have the satisfaction of knowing that he is in the presence of our Lord.
Dear Carol and family, While it has been many years since I have seen any of you, the memories that I have of all of you during our years at Lawrence Free Methodist Church are dear ones. I have so much respect for Sherry. I am sorry to hear of his passing. My prayers are with you all during this time. Much love to you all as well.
Carol and family, I’m so sorry for your loss! Sherry was a great man and a wonderful mentor. The highlight of my career with Quaker was the privilege I had to be a part of his team at the Lawrence Plant from 1982-1986. Under his leadership, we were enormously successful, and it was truly fun and satisfying to be a part of that. I was so happy to be able to stay connected with you and Sherry in CA, Chicago and here in KS. Reconnecting from time to time to catch up and reminisce about the old days at Quaker we’re unforgettable times. It is an honor to have known him and to have been able to call him a friend.
Sherry was loved as much as he was respected. He will be sincerely missed. We are all better people for just having the opportunity to be around him. Our prayers are with you (Carol), and your family.
Enjoyed getting to know Sherry when he, Larry and I worked on the Strategic Plan for Veritas Christian School. Gifted, articulate leader. His faith in Christ was an inspiration to all that knew him.
Sherry is the embodiment of the Quaker culture, concern for the employees. I was able to visit him in his Chicago office in the Quaker tower, ever friendly. He toured the plant every day he was in Lawrence, seeing first hand what was happening and greeting everyone. He noticed the little things. Having been gone for a couple of weeks, he notice a broken glass in a dock door had not been replaced in his absence. It was fixed when he toured the next day. It was an honor and joy to work for him. Prayers with the family.
A dear friend is now with Jesus. I have so enjoyed the times we were together and cherish the memories. We were friends all through school and even roommates in collage for a year! He was a wonderful man, and will be missed by many. I loved and admired his devotion to all he loved, especially Jesus! Our thoughts and prayers remain with you as you go through this difficult time.
Although we will not be there during the funeral services, please know that our hearts go out to you and everyone in the family. We will always remember how kind Sherry was to us and made us feel so welcomed. We are sending our love and deepest sympathies to all.
I am grieved to hear of Sherry’s going it is good to know his continued faithfulness to Jesus Christ and his commitment staying true in his faithful service. Sherry and I grew up together and he was the best man at our wedding. We had many good time and memories to remember him with. Our prayers for Carol and his family God is still in control and he is in good hands will see again someday he be our guide in Heaven God’s blessing to you all.Thank you Oscar for letting me know.
I have many memories of Sherry and Carol. I met them at our church and they were so kind and loving . They were the reason I got involved in Kids Alive, and we sponsor a young man, that to this day calls me mom. I will miss your sweet,deep voice and your quiet demeanor. I know you’re singing God’s praises in heaven right now and I can’t wait to listen to you once again when I get to go to that place beyond.. I pray for God’s peace and His comfort in this difficult time for Dea and Carol and all the family.
Jan and Ron Looney
Dear Carol and family
Blessed be the tie that binds our hearts and our families. May the love of all help you through the next weeks, months and years. What a wonderful man to be part of our extended family and shared grandchildren. His love of church and family has been such a great example for us. He will long be remembered in the lives of many people. Our prayers and long distance hugs.
Dear Carol and family,
Judy and I were very touched when we got word of Sherry’s passing.
The four words that I wrote a few moments after we got word of his home going were: Our loss, his gain.
When I think of Sherry’s faith it reminds me of Heb ll:4, where Abel is dead, yet because of his great faith, he is still speaking. Just this week I shared some of his reflections from Psalm 91with a friend.
May our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the resurrection and the life, continue to sustain you in this time of loss.
We were saddened by the news of Sherry’s passing. He was a great guy and had a great Christian testimony for his Lord. He will be missed by all his family and friends. I am sure that Jesus could be seen through his daily life and example. I had the privilege of spending one college year with him at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology as his dorm roommate in my senior year. He was a great friend. We know he is in heaven rejoicing with our Lord and hano more earthy pain or sorrow.
Carol, Sherry’s cousin, Willie, called me on Thursday to let us know of Sherry’s passing. It came as a sad shock to realize he was no longer here. I will alway remember him as a young teen, and what a fine Christian man he was… the last time we saw him he came in to our Christian Bookstorein Des Moines, Wellspring. He will be missed. My prayer is that you will find peace of mind and comfort knowing he is safe at home with our Heavenly Father.
In His Love, Bev (Ferris)
I worked for Sherry all but one year of his time at the Quaker Oats plant. I had a great visit with Sherry at the Sports Pavillion three years ago after not seeing him for a number of years. And then little chats when I saw him there in the time to follow. When he told me what he was doing with retirement it reinforced my knowledge about how he carried for people. He was a man who gave you respect by listening to what you had to say. I proudly held him up as the measuring stick for the managers to follow in the 34 yrs I worked at the plant. Now after retirement I can say no one ever matched him in his people skills. I will say when I think of Sherry it puts a smile on my face. I think about the Friday he stood in the doorway at the end of the shift handing everyone $100 bills in 1980 because the new Kibbles n Bits plant was making Quaker lots of money under his leadership. I think of the employee empowerment meetings where he listened more then he spoke. I think most of all of the man who always had time for me when I needed to talk. Sherry made a mark on my life and I thank him.
It is with deep sadness I learn of Sherry’s passing. Sherry came into my life through divine intervention, he connected me to Kids Alive, helped me deepen my faith, and he truly changed my life forever. I am honored to have known such a generous and inspiring man. Rest in peace Sherry. You will be missed.
It seems that Sherry and Carol and the city of Lawrence and even surrounding communities were destined for each other. Many of us have been enriched in various ways for having crossed paths with Sherry. Certainly, Lawerence is better for having Sherry live among us and shared his time and ability for the betterment of the community. Those who were fortunate enough to have worked in the Quaker plant with Sherry, admired him a great deal. How blessed we are for having Sherry live among us and set such a great example, as he seemed to mentor everyone. Rest In Peace, Sherry. A special thank you to the family for sharing Sherry with all of us!
Sherry was responsible for hiring me as an industrial engineer in Chicago. I later moved to Lawrence when we started the pet food plant; I moved on to other opportunities at other companies in 1982. I attribute much of my success to what I learned about management from Sherry. Over the years I have had opportunities to talk to young managers about managing. I would often describe the characteristics of the best boss I ever had and the worse boss. Sherry was, and continues to be, the example of the best boss I ever had.
Dear Carol and Family,
The times of sharing in LFMC Sunday School with Sherry and you were a blessing. And what is most memorable from those hours are when we all prayed together and sought the Lord Jesus for His care and guidance in our lives. Sherry was our good prayer leader, too.
Although it is with sadness at his passing from this life, there is great comfort and hope knowing Sherry is with our Lord and Savior. How very much God loves Sherry, and you also. Zephaniah 3:17
Carol, for you and all in your family, may Jesus’ Presence fill you with much peace in the days ahead. Deuteronomy 31:8
In Christ’s Love,
Bob Bosanac
Dear Carol ~
Life goes so quickly. Though your life and Sherry’s have been rich and full, abundantly laden with blessings, the time together with one you love is too short. I am sorry for your loss . . . and pray for you comfort and sweet memories in these days ahead.
Affectionately,
Linda Lund Stenberg
Prayers for Carol and family, with warm memories of Sherry.
I was privileged to spend good times with Sherry as a friend and on the church leadership initiative. Sherry was a life mentor for me, both professionally and spiritually.
Sherry’s legacy is family, friends and faith based leadership.
In prayer,
Clary (C J) Poklinkoski
My thoughts are with you and your family. Sherry was my mother’s (Evelyn Shipley) cousin and she has such wonderful memories of him. I only met him a couple of times, but always remember his bright smile and gentle demeanor. He will be missed!
Sincerely, Tonya Shipley Nortnik
Carol and Family,
With deepest sorrow for your loss, prayers to sustain each of you, and celebration of Sherry’s Life of Service to his Lord… “Well done, Good and Faithful Servant…..”
Memories…of a cherished friendship for nearly 70 years.
Oscar
Dear Carol and family,
I was a teacher at Cordley School when you lost your darling little Beckie. What brave, supportive, and wonderful parents you were (and are) to your children. I admired both you and Sherry very much.
My deepest sympathy goes to you.
Mary Gordon