Sherry Sue Potchynok, 75, of Northville, formerly of Coldwater, passed away Tuesday, June 25, 2024 after a brief battle with breast cancer.
The funeral service will be held Monday, July 1, 2024 at 12:00 p.m. at Dutcher Funeral Home in Coldwater with Pastor Scott Marsh from the United Methodist Church officiating. Interment will follow at Oak Grove Cemetery.
Visitation will be held Monday, prior to the service, beginning at 9:00 a.m.
Sherry was born April 15, 1949, in Coldwater, MI to L. Jack & Sallie (Gamby) Gates. She married Richard Potchynok on August 4, 1973, in Coldwater, with whom she had two daughters she adored, Kristin, a lawyer, and Ashley, a zookeeper.
Sherry attended the University of Michigan, where she met Richard her freshman year at a Magical Mystical Beatles party. From U of M, she earned her Undergraduate Degree, and Masters in Business and Education.
She was so proud that Kristin and Ashley followed in her and Rich’s footsteps and earned undergraduate degrees at U of M.
Sherry was a mother, wife, and sister. She was quick with a smile, a laugh and fierce with her hugs. She passionately supported and dedicated her time to her family. She was her two daughters’ biggest fan and always shared her pride at what they were up to with anyone who was around. One of Sherry’s favorite places was spending time at her cottage on Coldwater Lake with her family.
Sherry loved all things U of M, including football, who she loudly cheered as they won two national championships (1998, 2024), and basketball, as well as the U of M Alumni Club of Northville. She also spent many nights supporting her beloved Detroit Tigers. You could also find her usually lost in a good book, watching a cheesy Hallmark romance movie, or working a word search puzzle.
Sherry started out with a brief career in education and transitioned to the automotive industry where she worked mainly for Ford as a financial analyst, and then finished her career at MTU diesel. After she retired, Rich and she loved to cruise the rivers of the world until Covid slowed them down.
Sherry is survived by her husband and daughters, her siblings Barry Gates, Terry (Jim) Whelan, Rick Gates, brother-in-law Eugene (Evelyn) Potchynok, and sister-in-law Donna Gates and many nieces, nephews, fur grandkids, and other family members she dearly loved. She was preceded in death by her parents, her brother Toby Gates, her sister and brother-in-law Barbara and Bill Taylor, and her mother and father-in-law, Eugene and Florence Potchynok.
Memorials may be directed to the Susan G. Komen Foundation or the U of M Club of Northville, Scholarship Fund.
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