Sherry Stapp

Sherry Lynn Stapp was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on May 8th, 1968 passed away Sunday March 7th, 2021. Sherry is the daughter of Ron and Carolyn McGarraugh who are still living. Sherry grew up in Bethany, Oklahoma. She was preceded in death by her grandparents Lloyd and Marie McGarraugh of Perryton Texas and Charles and Juanita Sherrill of Bethany Oklahoma. She is survived by her husband Zane, daughter Carissa and son in law Chris Small, their two girls Nora and Xaryah, her son Westin, her brother Steve McGarraugh, his wife lilly, and sister Susan, with her husband Johnathon and numerous cousins, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles and friends that she loved.

Sherry grew up in Bethany as a member of the Bethany First Church of the Nazarene, graduated high school from Putnam City West High School in 1986 and studied early childhood education at Southern Nazarene University graduating in 1990. Upon graduation she began her career as a Title I reading teacher at Western Oaks Elementary. The same school she attended as a child.

In February 1991 Bobbie the computer matched Sherry up with Zane Stapp on a phone dating service. This was before internet dating had yet to be thought of. The first time they connected they talked for over 4 hours and agreed to meet on Saturday. Zane cooked dinner for Sherry at her apartment and she made him chocolate chip cookies for dessert. Once they were married Zane would cook and Sherry would bake for the next 28 years.

After dating for 6 months Zane asked Ron if it was okay to ask Sherry to marry him. Ron gave his blessing, and on a rainy night after a date Zane asked Sherry "the scary question." Zane had secretly hidden her ring inside her apartment to keep it safe. He took her on the balcony to watch the rain and got down on one knee and she said yes.

They were married a year later on June, 19th 1992 at Bethany First Church. They honeymooned in Minnesota and fished. Sherry and Zane were fishing buddies their entire marriage. They rented a tiny rent house in Bethany and Sherry continued to work as a teacher while Zane finished college and sold cars. Three months into their marriage, on the day after Zane's 23rd birthday, Sherry showed up at Zane's work with a happy birthday balloon and a card that read "Happy Birthday Daddy, Mommy did not know I was here until today". Sherry and Zane would have their first child. About four months later they would buy a bigger house and move to Yukon Oklahoma to bring their daughter home. So on June 19th,1993, on their one year wedding anniversary, Sherry gave birth to their daughter Carissa Lenae Stapp. The best anniversary present ever.

Zane would graduate college from Central Oklahoma and begin teaching and coaching for Moore Public Schools. After about 4 years, knowing their family was not complete they decided to have another child. Sherry became pregnant and so once again they would move and bought a house in Oklahoma City near Hefner golf course. Both Zane and Sherry enjoyed golfing together throughout their lives. On February 20th, 1998 Westin Coleman Stapp was born. Now their family was complete.

One Sunday after church in the summer of 1999 Zane was reading the newspaper at Ron and Carolyn's house and he saw an advertisement for science teachers needed in Richardson Texas. So Zane called and found out they also needed a wrestling coach and had a Reading Recovery job for Sherry. So later that week they would interview in Richardson while taking turns taking care of Westin. Sherry was hired on the spot so that made Zane's job a slam dunk. While in Richardson they wandered into the Richardson Church of the Nazarene and got a referral for child care for Westin and found their church home for the next 22 years. So in a 2 week time period God had literally picked them up and moved them to Texas.

Shortly after moving Sherry and Zane would buy a house on Shamrock Place in Richardson. Both children would go through RISD and graduate from Berkner High School. Sherry would teach at 3 schools in Richardson ISD finding her home at Dartmouth Elementary down the street from their house. This is where she earned the nickname the kindergarten whisper and was named teacher of the year for the school. Recognizing the countless hours and effort she put into her students. She would teach at Dartmouth until Zane got a job in Pilot Point in 2016.

The couple did not stay in Pilot Point very long but made lifelong friends along the way. While in Pilot Point they attended Gracepoint Nazarene Church which is on the site of the first original Nazarene Church started in the late 1800's. After only 2 years, they moved to their current home in Royse City Texas. Sherry taught pre-k in Pilot Point and taught Kindergarten at Springer Elementary in Rockwall ISD. During her first year at Springer she was named teacher of the month recognizing the master teacher she was. Every stop along the way Sherry made an impact on the staff she worked with, and the kids she taught. God gave her the gift of hospitality and she used it. She cared for others more than she cared for herself and she made lifelong friends not just close acquaintances.

Two of the most special people she cared for were her grandchildren Nora and Xaryah Small. She enjoyed spending time with them, playing games, doing dress up, and especially teaching Nora to read. Despite the cancer being aggressive, and Sherry going through radiation in 2020, she did online schooling with Nora so she would have a great start to her kindergarten year. Because of this Nora is reading and writing and just like all of Sherry's students she had the kindergarten whisperer right beside her guiding her the whole way.

While at Dartmouth In 2010 Sherry would be diagnosed with breast cancer the first time. They caught it early and after having a mastectomy everything seemed fine, but this cancer would later return in 2019. This time It had spread to her hip bone and so after having surgery in 2019 Sherry would have to retire from teaching. She would spend the next 15 months fighting this cancer and never gave up. She tried multiple treatments and nothing seemed to work. On Friday March 5th Sherry would go in for an outpatient procedure that seemed harmless. However, it caused her blood pressure to drop and her body being weakened by cancer and chemo she never fully recovered. She passed away peacefully on the evening of March 7th, 2021 with her family nearby and Zane and Carissa holding her hand.

For many the story stops there, but with Sherry her faith in Jesus Christ was what got her through all the tough times. She had such a close relationship with God that He had told her on her birthday in 2020 that this would be her last one here on earth. For some that would be scary. She fought the cancer so she could be with those she loved as long as possible. However, she was far from scared of dying. So as we have immense pain for our loss, Sherry is now pain free in heaven. As we grieve the loss of a dear daughter, sister, wife, mother, bammy and friend to anyone she met, just know that she is now smiling in heaven and she still loves you.