Sherry was born on April 12, 1944, in Woodland California to Louis and Thelma Lawernce. She was the eldest of her two other siblings. She always took care of her younger siblings. Sherry became a dog lover from an early age. Starting with their dog Flipper and Cricket. As kids they did lots of camping.
Sherry got married at the age of 18 to Ralph Menges who was a Navy seal. This almost broke her sister Terri’s heart when she left home. However, they took Terri to Disneyland when she was still young. Sherry still can remember how excited her sister was to be there. Ralph and Sherry had a daughter, Towny. Sherry was a stay-at- home mom to her young daughter. Unfortunately, this marriage ended in a divorce.
Sherry later fell in love with a musician, Sam Deluca. They later married and had a son Damon. They lived in Thousand Oaks, California. They would go horseback riding and enjoyed living among the famous. Bing Russell and son Kurt Russell were frequent flyers at the Mexican Restaurant she worked at. She remembers seeing Bert Renyolds there too . She even did a little Goo- Goo dancing. Sherry remembers being woke up by police sirens, the shocking and grisly murders of actress Sharon Tate and four other people by followers of cult leader Charles Manson on the night of August 8-9, 1969, in Los Angeles. Two more people were killed on August 1O.
Sherry· enjoyed going to parties of the rich and famous and even lived by Jungle Land where they used these Zoo animals in their movies. This marriage eventually ended in a divorce. Later, sister Terri would introduce Sherry to Jim Parson who was in the Air Force, and it was love at first sight. Just two short months Sherry and her two children moved on Base with Jim and his three boys and blended their families together.
Jim spent sixteen years in the Air Force. They later helped start and run Perkins restaurants and moved to Missouri to be closer to her sister. Jim and Sherry became residents when Sherry could no longer take care of Jim at home. Jim died on January 21, 2024, and Sherry is trying to grieve and learn a new routine without him. Sherry is a vivacious, funny, caring and loving lady. Some may even call her the crazy dog lady. We are honored to do life with Sherry at Clinton Healthcare and Rehabilitation.
