Sheryl BOGATZ

Sheryl Lynn Smith was born September 20, 1954, to Dorene and Marty Smith. She had one younger sister Diane who she doted on and guided fiercely with her love.
Sheryl attended Wilbur Avenue Elementary School when her family moved from Sherman Oaks to Tarzana. This was followed by Portola Junior High and Taft High School. She attended California State University Northridge as an art history major and in 1972 and left to pursue a position at Aaron Brothers Art Mart in their New Store Design and Construction department. She was very successful and looked every bit the part with her construction boots and toolbelt on her hips!
In her 20s, Sheryl attended Lifespring, a personal development training and was influential in her family and friends attending the training as well. She then became the company's enrollment coordinator and increased enrollment substantially. Later, she joined Cunningham and Associates in the office furniture industry. From there she joined Herman Miller (now Miller Knoll) in April of 1984 and worked for them for 24.7 years, starting as a salesperson and finishing her career as the Vice President of Sales for the Western Sales Area. She won the love and admiration of her fellow employees and was awarded six Cube Awards, Herman Miller's highest award for salespeople. To this day, her fellow employees still sing her praises.
Sheryl believed in giving back, and she did so by volunteering with an organization that mentored young women of color to prepare them for the work force. She also was a member of the Organization of Women Executives for many years, Additionally, she volunteered with the American Cancer Society and raised money for breast and ovarian cancer research while participating in walks for them.
In 1993 Sheryl was introduced to Larry Bogatz by her dear friend Margot's husband David. The two fell in love, married four years later, and traveled the world with Margot and David who later moved to Carbondale, Colorado. They had a rich and loving marriage that included passions for their dogs and cats, good food, friends, their synagogue and family.
Sheryl was an extremely loving wife, daughter, sister, friend, and aunt. She doted on her two nephews Ryan and Trevor and was actively involved in their lives, attending school, and sporting events, always cheering them on with unbridled joy. When Ryan needed to "shadow" someone in the workforce for a high school assignment, Sheryl spent the day showing him the ropes of corporate America at Herman Miller!
In 2006, Sheryl began experiencing memory lapses that were affecting her work performance, so she retired just short of 25 years with the company. In 2013, she was diagnosed with young onset Alzheimer's and "the longest goodbye" began. Two years later, Sheryl and Larry moved to Carbondale to be closer to their friends and her sister Diane and her husband Scott. Because Sheryl was always a loving, generous spirit, she always came from love, despite what she knew lay ahead of her. While it was a heartbreaking diagnosis, and she did struggle with it, her heart remained loving and generous. She often commented about being in Colorado, "we're so lucky, we LIVE here!" In 2019, she experienced some seizures and after rehab, became a resident of the memory care unit located just minutes away from Larry.
Sheryl is preceded in death by her loving parents Marty (1928-1999) and Dorene Smith (1933-2007). She is survived by her beloved husband Larry Bogatz, sister Diane Darling and her brother-in-law Scott, and beloved nephews Ryan and Trevor. She is also survived by Larry's son Scott Bogatz and his children Sidney (and her husband David) and Matthew, as well as Melissa Bogatz and their children Alessandra and Van and countless friends. Sheryl will be loved and missed by all who had the pleasure of knowing her.