Sherry Joy Carver

Sherry Joy Carver was born on 7-11-1948 at Old McKinley Hospital (in Mercer County) in Trenton, N.J. She was number 3 of 7 children of her parents, including Ron (d. 2023), Rickey, Mark, Candy and two others who are buried in the same grave site as her parents. Her mother, Helena (d. 2008), was originally from the Adirondack region of New York State. Helena came to Trenton after meeting and marrying Sherry’s father, Edgar (d. 1992). Edgar had descendants in Mercer County, N.J., and Bucks County, Pa., since the time of William Penn. He was a birthright Quaker and as far as can be discerned, if he was not in fact an attendee of Quaker Meeting, most of his family were and many of their ideologies became part and parcel of his character. Sherry lived in Trenton and attended Trenton City Schools until the beginning of seventh grade. Upon graduation from sixth grade from Parker School in Trenton, she was the recipient of the first ever "citizenship award" to be awarded. In 1960 she moved to Yardley, Pa., and she enrolled in Pennsbury Schools. She attended Charles Boehm Jr. High for 7-10 grades and the Old Pennsbury High School for 11th grade. Her senior class was the first to attend the newly constructed Pennsbury High School on Hood Boulevard in Levittown, Pa. Because the school was still under construction, she attended school on alternating days. Juniors and seniors alternated days through most of the year. During high school, her activities included Sports Nite Class Captain Black Team 1965 Happy the Clown, Sports Nite Orange Team Class Captain 1966 Little Bo Peep. In addition, she worked part-time as secretary to the athletic director during her junior and senior year, and volunteered in the school office in lieu of study hall. Sherry graduated in June 1966 as a member of the National Honor Society. She lived in Cincinnati, Ohio, for 10 years and studied Liberal Arts at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Although her combined credits fulfilled their degree requirements, she was three foreign language credits short of their actually awarding her an official BA in English Literature. Regardless, she contributed professionally and personally to her community. Sherry retired from the State of New Jersey Division of Pensions where she was employed as a pensions and benefits specialist and an administrative analyst working with their 403B and 457 plans and their retired health benefits program. She pursued her interest in American History through a membership with Past Masters of Early American Domestic Arts — a research driven group. Through this affiliation, she assisted with the research and publication of an 18th century book of cooking receipts. Also, she made contributions to their quarterly publication Past Master News. She married and divorced three times, yet had four of the most incredible sons, Michael, Jonathon, Joseph and Blake. She also had seven grandchildren and one great grandchild. “Looking back over my arthritic shoulders,” Sherry once wrote, “I have to say the shadows that mean the most to me are those of my four sons. I would never choose to unzip them ‘Peter Pan’ style. They are four shadows that have glittered with shining lights every day since each one of them was born. I am truly proud to be their mother.”

Sherry Joy Carver

July 11, 1948 - September 16, 2024