Sherry Paine

Cameron, Missouri- Sherry Jean Paine, 74, formerly of Eugene, Oregon, passed away April 8, 2025 surrounded by her family.
She was born April 21, 1950 in Lomita, California to Johnie and Marjorie (Parbois) Lindsey.
As a child, Sherry was a handful: She was the kind of kid who needed to be harnessed and on a leash. Her mom, bewildered by her boundless energy, nicknamed her "wildfire."
After high school, Sherry earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance (1975) and a Master of Arts in Communicative Disorders (1983). The first half of her career was spent developing avenues of communication for severely and profoundly disabled people in an institutional setting. She then turned to serving children in the public schools who had challenges in speech communication.
Sherry learned piano as a child and loved singing in church. As an adult she was a fine choral singer who performed with the Oregon Bach Festival for fifteen years. The climax of her musical experience was three years of performing in Europe with the Gächinger Kantorei of Stuttgart in the 1980s.
Throughout her life she championed neglected animals, at one point capturing, neutering, and caring for three dozen feral cats for ten years.
Sherry was preceded in death by her parents and sister, Ann Startup.
Survivors: husband, Gordon, of Eugene, Oregon; 5 nieces, Jody (Pat) Bushey, Post Falls, Idaho, Tracy (David) DuBreuil, Eagle Mount, Utah, Kari (Matt) Campbell and Julie Fontaine, both of Cameron, Missouri, Kristy (Scott) Benton, Excelsior Springs, Missouri; and many nieces and nephews.
A private family graveside service was held on April 21, 2025, the day that would have been Sherry's 75th birthday, at Evergreen Cemetery.