Sherry Michl-Catt

Sherry Michl-Catt, 84, of Oblong, IL, passed away on November 20, 2025, at home, wrapped in the love of the family she poured so much of her life into. Her story began on July 7, 1941, in Anna, IL, but her life truly took root in Oblong, where she grew up, graduated from Oblong High School in 1959, and began becoming the woman people would remember: strong, resilient, and full of a spark that never dimmed. Even as a teenager, she carried herself with a kind of joy. She marched as a majorette, baton twirling confidently in hand.

Not long after high school, she married Fred Michl and became the mother of three daughters who would become the pride of her heart. Life shifted and changed, as life often does, and eventually, Sherry found love again. On June 13, 1992, she married Robert "Bob" Catt in Oblong, and the next chapter of her story was filled with companionship, shared projects, and sun-warmed winters spent together in Florida near Lake Okeechobee. That season with Bob was one of the great joys of her life.

Work came naturally to Sherry because she loved people and she loved helping them. Insurance became her life's career. She began at Weber Insurance in Robinson, moved to Dorsey Kirk Insurance in Oblong, and eventually created something all her own when she and her friend Sharon Salesman opened Two Sharons Insurance (TSI). Sherry had a gift for making people feel seen and cared for, which is what made her good at her work. She could talk to anyone and made strangers feel like friends.

When she eventually retired from the insurance world, her hands didn't slow down. She simply poured her attention into a different kind of work. She joined her daughter Lisa at the Village Stitchery, doing embroidery, stitching samples, and lending her creativity to the shop. She had an eye for detail and a patience for the slow work of making something beautiful one stitch at a time. The same care she brought to embroidery she brought to her yard. Sherry's lawn was her pride. She shaped it, tended it, nurtured it, and made it into something the town noticed. Oblong honored her with the Hometown Pride Award for her landscaping, though the award only captured a fraction of how much sweat and love went into those flower beds.

Sherry believed in community. She believed in showing up. She became a charter member of the Oblong Young Homemakers, poured her energy into the March of Dimes, served a couple of terms on the Oblong Village Board, and gave time and heart to the Oblong Chamber of Commerce. She was a member of the First Christian Church in Oblong, and she led with intention in the Oblong Business and Professional Women's Club as well as the Illinois Xi Lambda Chi Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi. She was also the senior member of "The Pony Club", which became one of her favorite roles because it meant piling her grandchildren into the car and taking them all over the county to look at horses. Those drives, those conversations, those shared sparks of excitement planted something lasting in them.

Sherry's grandchildren held the softest part of her heart. She would babysit them all at once, filling her home with the happy chaos she loved. She cheered them on. She pushed them to discover what they were passionate about. She showed them what it looked like to be strong, steady, present, and endlessly loving. And she was fun. Very sociable. Always ready to help. Always ready to talk. There was an ornery streak that slipped out just enough to make everyone laugh.

But life wasn't always sunshine and smiles. Sherry spent decades navigating cancer, off and on, beginning in her thirties. Yet through every round, every appointment, every storm, she fought with grace. She kept moving forward. She kept caring for others. She kept giving, she kept showing up, and she kept loving with everything she had. That perseverance became part of her legacy, a quiet lesson to everyone who watched her: that life is to be lived with heart, and love is worth giving even on the hardest days.

The family would like to offer a special note of gratitude to Becky Earnest, whose tender care in the final months brought comfort and peace to Sherry and to all who loved her.

She is survived by her children, Lori (Eric) Eubank of Willow Hill, IL, Lisa (Charlie) Pinkston of Oblong, IL, and Lynis Michl (Ken Pollard) of Coolidge, AZ; by her step-children, Barry (Diana) Catt of Mooresville, IN, and Bradley Catt of Edinburg, VA; and by her grandchildren, Elliot (Katie) Smith, Kelsey (Brandon) Mounts, Kailyn Pinkston (Cameron Callaway), Breanna Michl, Isaiah Michl, and Ava Northen. She also leaves behind her great-grandchildren, Charly Pinkston, Jackson Smith, Hayden Smith, and Scottie Callaway; many step-grandchildren and step-great-grandchildren; and her brother-in-law, Herb Jones of Oblong, IL.

Sherry was preceded in death by her husband, Robert "Bob" Catt, on February 13, 2025; by her parents, Don Gholson & Edith (Weaver) Deaver; and by her sisters, Donna Sue Gholson (in infancy) and Carole L. Jones.

A family-guided time of remembrance will be held from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 26th, at the Family Life Center of the First Christian Church in Oblong. Friends are invited to bring photos or stories to share. Memorials may be made to the Oblong Chamber of Commerce for their Mini Park Project or to Transitions Hospice.