Sheri Spencer Vail, age 72, passed away at noon on Sunday, March 27, 2016, at UW Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, following complications of aortic bifemoral bypass surgery. She had been battling this life-and-limb-threatening arterial condition undauntedly for some years, armed by her fierce love for family and friends, and fueled by her passion for travel and photography, the latter a field in which she won numerous awards. Sheri visited all seven continents in her lifetime, having most recently returned from an Australian cruise with her beloved husband, David.

On the evening of her passing, Sheri’s positive spirit was perfectly expressed in a spectacular segment of rainbow visible from her home overlooking Puget Sound, as the sun set behind rain clouds that Easter Sunday. She was a woman who vividly colored whatever corner of the world she happened to occupy.

Sheri and her twin sister, Sue, were born on August 20, 1943 in Bend, Oregon, the daughters of John and Betty (Laursen) Spencer (in later years, Miller). Their father, a USAF pilot, was killed shortly thereafter in World War II, and their mother returned to her hometown of Enumclaw, WA to raise the girls. Rosy-cheeked and known somewhat indulgently as “the headstrong one,” Sheri backed up a doing-it-my-way life strategy with astounding capabilities and determination. She launched full-steam into motherhood in her teen years, bringing six children into the world before changing course in her early 40’s and pointing herself on a higher education trajectory, eventually earning a Master’s degree in Nursing from the University of Washington.

Her subsequent accelerated career path proved her to be as energetically capable and devoted a nurse, educator and administrator, as she was daughter, mother and, by then, grandmother. Sheri inherited a mysterious trait of her mother’s, one which made each grandchild feel like s/he was the particular focus of her attention. Yet she had more than enough of this magic to spare for children far outside her own fortunate brood: Sheri’s volunteer nursing work with Healing the Children took her to Guatemala, Columbia and Uzbekistan on three separate occasions, opportunities to fully engage her fiercely caring nature, assisting with cleft palate repair while under armed guard, in territory where few dared to tread.

Marriage to David on June 10th, 1996 and a gradual easing into retirement, allowed Sheri to be her mother’s champion caregiver, at home and abroad on trips she orchestrated well into her mother’s nineties. Snowbird life in AZ brought 8 fabulous winters with her husband, children and 50 of her closest friends.

Many dear friends of Sheri and David join these family members in grief:
Son Bob Oliver (Brenda), son Steve Oliver, son Jeff Oliver (Shauna) daughter Sara Willy (Dave), son Matt Bebich (Colleen), 12 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren, stepdaughter Lindsey Vail, sister-in-law Bonnie Vail, niece Kim Buckingham and family, nephew Kevin Simpson (Kim) and family, stepbrother Larry Webb and family, and a bevy of devoted cousins.

Family members preceding Sheri in death include: father John Spencer, mother Betty Miller, sister Sue Simpson, son James and grandson Michael.

A celebration of Sheri’s vibrant life will be held on Sunday, May 15, from 1PM until 5PM at CI Shenanigans - 3017 Ruston Way, Tacoma, WA • (253) 752-8811.
In lieu of flowers the family asks that donations be made in Sheri’s name to one of her favorite charities: Healing the Children-Washington-Oregon Chapter.

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