The life of Darlene Sheryl Baer, better known as Sherry, came to an end on November 19th, 2024. She died in the early morning hours in the comfort of her cherished home in Chelsea, surrounded by the love of her family, exactly as she wished. She leaves behind her husband, Allan; her children Jennifer DePino (Eugenio); Damian DePino (Lilly); Ama Baer (Lien); Tana Baer (Will); Asa Baer (Caitlin); her eight grandchildren, Arianna, Milo, Eve, Lev, Abe, Iris, Mia and Maia; and her sisters April Hyatt and Melanie Hyatt-Ekstrom, as well as a large family of cousins both near and far. She was predeceased by her parents, her sister Dawn, and her nephew, Jamin.

Sherry was a warm, gentle hug, a cheerful smile that lit up her green eyes, and a giggle that would ring out from her and bring light to the room. She was endlessly creative, crafting beautiful quilts (they even won first prize at the Tunbridge World’s Fair!), detailed handwork, and clothes passed down from children to grandchildren. She loved sewing and crafts and made many dolls for her children that are still beloved today among her grandchildren. She loved cooking, reading, and farming (she had chickens, goats, and sheep on her ramshackle farm in Chelsea). She was happiest in the garden, listening to birds, enjoying the breeze, and with sunshine on her face. Sherry loved telling stories, creating puppet shows, and teaching her grandchildren nursery rhymes and childhood songs. She valued simplicity, security, and stability. She was sensible and stubborn, the latter a part of her character until the very end.

Sherry was a beloved early childhood teacher, providing abundant love to her students and their families. She was an inspiration in and out of the classroom, hosting handwork workshops for the community of teachers, a sounding board of advice for parents, and a twinkle in her eye to every single one of her students. There are people who choose to see good in others, and then there is Sherry. Sherry only saw the good in people – it wasn’t a choice, but a true belief that everyone is inherently good. Justice, love, and kindness are just three words that come to mind when thinking of what mattered most to her. Later in life, when most people were retiring, Sherry switched from teaching to becoming a pastor. She spent the last of her working years as a pastor at the United Church of Christ in Northfield, Vermont, where she was a beloved member of their community and continues to be an inspiration to all who knew her from this time.

Sherry was born on February 6th, 1949 in Chester, CT to Sophie (Tripp) and Richard Hyatt. She was the first of six children, and the first few years of her life were happy, secure, and filled with love. When she was just about to turn 12, her mother died tragically of cancer. Her father suffered greatly after her death, and all children were promptly placed in foster care. She lost her entire family and home, and spent the rest of her life grappling with this. She suffered greatly with anxiety, which kept her from truly living freely. She was terrified of sickness, of death, of losing her home; this was a great fear that lived under the surface of what everyone else saw. It impacted how she lived, and in the end, how she died. In her sixties, Sherry was diagnosed with Lyme disease that left her body destroyed; when she was subsequently diagnosed with Parkinson’s, that erased what was left of her spirit. Finally, at the end, she suffered from Lewy Body Dementia, and although in the last few weeks of her life she was perhaps the most present she had been for the previous fifteen, she nevertheless quietly slipped into death a shadow of the person she once was. Regardless, and perhaps because of, especially at the end, she expressed her love and pride in her children and grandchildren, her deep love of her husband, and the struggle that she felt with having diseases take away everything that she loved about her life.

We rejoice in the knowledge that she is finally free of anxiety, pain, and is at peace. We imagine her among the birds, laughing in nature, in quiet reverence for the beauty that she believed God created. Her creativity, love of the earth, belief in the goodness of people, and love will live on in her children, grandchildren, and those who were lucky to have known her.

A service honoring and celebrating her life will be held on Saturday, November 30th at 11 am at the United Church of Christ in Northfield, Vermont. If you are so inclined, please bring an item from nature (a rock, dried flower, a leaf) that can be placed on the nature table that will be set up for Sherry. In place of flowers, donations can be made to the Children’s Neuroblastoma Cancer Foundation at https://www.cncfhope.org/dona…

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