Sheryl "Sherry" Byars

Sheryl (Sherry) Ann Byars, loving mother, stepmother, and grandmother, passed away peacefully after a long illness on Wednesday, August 20, 2025 surrounded by her family.  

Funeral services will be held at Heritage Funeral Home on Saturday, November 8, 2025, at 11 a.m., followed by a luncheon. Sherry will be laid to rest at the South Dakota State Veteran's Cemetery next to her recently departed husband James (Jim) Byars and in Red Wing, Minnesota near her family.

Sherry was born on June 24, 1950 in St. Paul, Minnesota to James and Lois Wolff.   She grew up in White Bear Lake, Minnesota and graduated from White Bear Lake High School.

After her marriage to James (Jim) Eckhoff, they moved to Minneapolis, MN where Jim completed medical school and Sherry worked as a nurse.  There they adopted their oldest daughter, Amanda Eckhoff and made many good friends and memories.

After a whirlwind of moves including Detroit, Michigan (where son, Nathaniel was born), Denver, Colorado (where son, Nile was born), and Grand Forks, North Dakota (where they adopted daughter, Jenevieve), they settled in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.  

When her marriage to Jim ended, Sherry moved west to Payette, Idaho where she married Larry Reeve.  She worked as a nurse in the intensive care unit at a local hospital in a nearby community where she saved lives and made many, many good friends.  In Payette, Sherry thrived doing the things she loved to do – camping, hiking, working in her vegetable garden, foraging for mushrooms, and cooking big, delicious meals for family and friends. She loved being outdoors, making things (soaps, canned foods, sewing projects, good friends) and being involved in the local community.  

When her marriage to Larry ended, she moved to La Grande, Oregon where she met and married James (Jim) Byars.  In La Grande, they had endless laughs and adventures together.  From goat packing trips to far-flung and hard-to-reach places, to camping and fishing in Yellowstone, to spending time with her two grandchildren, Kevin and Amellia and visiting her stepdaughter Jennifer Weeks, her husband Bob, and their two children, Corey and Erin, Sherry truly enjoyed living in La Grande as it gave her so many opportunities to enjoy the outdoors, grow her vegetables, and be close to family.  

Sherry loved a good book, a good classic movie, and a good time with friends and family.  She never backed down from a debate about something important to her and she loved to make things, cook things, and work with her hands in the dirt.  She loved to watch things (people, plants) grow and flourish.  She will be truly missed.

Sherry is preceded in death by her late husband, Jim Byars, her parents, and her brother, James Wolff.  She is survived by her children Amanda Eckhoff, and husband Randall Hall, Nathaniel Eckhoff and his wife Dawn, Jenevieve Eckhoff, Nile Eckhoff, stepdaughter Jennifer Weeks, and her husband, Robert Weeks; and her adored grandchildren, Kevin, Amellia, Corey, Erin, and Sofia.  She is also survived by her brother, Robert Wolff, and his wife, Agnes and sister-in-law Darlene Wolff.  

In lieu of flowers, we ask that you make a donation to your local public broadcasting station as Sherry loved learning about the world and supporting accurate and reliable journalism and programming.