Sherry Lenore (Balow) Kelley

Sherry Lenore (Balow) Kelley was born on August 24, 1942, in Chicago Illinois to Frank and Kay Balow. Her great love and mission in life was Family, including her 2 brothers, 3 sisters, 4 children, and 9 grandchildren. It was this family and her faith that sustained her until her passing at the age of 83 years on January 14th, 2026, in Canby, Oregon.

The third of six children, she graduated from Oak Park River Forest High School in 1960 and went on to Rosary College (now known as Dominican University) to earn a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature in 1964. At about that time she met Leonard (Pete) Kelley Jr. and became the first daughter-in-law of a Kelley Family that had 7 sons - a family that would become an integral part of for the rest of her life. Sherry and Pete started their own family and had 4 children that she devoted her life to: Leonard III (LJ), Jennifer, David, and Matthew. Life was consumed by driving her kids all over the local and regional area for school and other events, which she cherished even in the rainy and stormy seasons of Oregon. When she wasn’t spectating (and even while she was) Sherry was busy volunteering in the community and can rightly be said to have played an important role in building the Canby Kids Athletic Organization from the beginning, along with numerous other Canby families. And as if all this wasn’t enough, Sherry had a career in the Health Insurance industry, where she created more lifelong friends. Once she had raised her children and was blessed with grandchildren, her focus turned to spoiling them and to attending as many of their events as she could. Later in life she tried to spend as much time as possible with her Balow family, traveling around the world with sisters Pam and Kyle.

Sherry was an avid reader and consumed books when she found time. She was a rabid Chicago Cubs fan and would watch games on TV with Jenne without fail. She was also a very crafty card player and never missed an opportunity to quietly dominate a game of Shanghai with her family and extended family.

Sherry leaves her 4 children, their spouses and 9 grandchildren:
LJ, Jodie and their children Corinne and Noah,
Jenne, Steve, and their children Dakota, Bailey (Matt Gillette) and Kaden,
Dave, Betsy and their children Rian and Shane, and
Matt, Beth and their children Ian and Claire,
As well as her sister Kyle (Emil), brother Eric, the vast Balow and Benzinger families, and the Kelley family including brothers and sisters in law, nieces and nephews, and their children.

She will be missed for her love, her humility, her beauty of spirit.

There will be a funeral mass for Sherry on Friday, June 5, 2026 at 11:00AM at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, 498 NW 9th Ave., Canby, OR 97013
A reception will immediately follow the funeral at Antonia Ballroom, 221 N Grant St., Canby, OR 97013

I lieu of flowers please consider making a donation to Canby Kids, PO Box 631, Canby, OR 97013