Sherryln Ann Eley Sawyer was born on October 25, 1946, in Atlanta Georgia to the late Frank Eley and the late Amanda Gray Eley. On Thursday November 17, 2022, Sherryln entered into eternal rest, completing her course for the Lord here on earth. She was preceded in death by her husband of 56 years, James A. Sawyer; brothers, Larry and Drewey Eley; sisters, Laveria Eley and Mary Roulhac; and nephew, Rodney James Eley.
Sherryln grew up in the Fourth Ward community in Atlanta Georgia. She accepted Christ at an early age and joined Ebenezer Baptist Church, where she was baptized by the late Martin Luther King, Sr. She attended Our Lady of Lourdes Elementary School and graduated from David T. Howard High School, where she was a member of the chorus, the drama club, voted most attractive by her senior class, and a cheerleader, cheering on the David T. Howard Rams.
One week after graduation, on June 6, 1964, she married her high school sweetheart, James Sawyer (affectionately known as “Baby James”) in a ceremony performed by the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. To this union, two children were born; a daughter Angie and a son Jared. She was a dedicated mother, participating in every bake sale, school play, spaghetti supper, cheer and soccer practices and games. She was also an excellent cook, which made our house Thanksgiving and Christmas Central.
In 1977, Sherryln joined her husband and became a member of Beulah Missionary Baptist Church, where she faithfully served on the Usherette Board, the Deaconess Board, and the First Family Ministry.
Sherryln loved to travel. She and James sailed to almost every port in the Caribbean and Mexico, but her favorite destination was the casino, where she enjoyed many slot tournaments. She also loved to travel with her close friends and traveling buddies “The Golden Girls”. She was also a proud and active alumni member of the David T. Howard High School Class of 1964, where she served on various alumni class committees
After 30 years of service, Sherryln retired from Bellsouth, where she was a Yellow Pages Sales Associate and Sales Manager. Her quick wit, creative thinking, and the ability to relate to people resulted in landing large accounts and several sales awards. She was also a member of the Telephone Pioneers of America and made many lifelong friends at Bellsouth.
Sherryln was a hard-working dedicated wife and mother making sure her family was well taken care of, but her favorite role was as “Grandma-Money” to her three grandchildren, Jared, Jr., Emani, and Pyper. She cherished and embraced every moment with them. She made every holiday special, ordering monogrammed aprons for them to wear while baking Christmas cookies, coloring Easter eggs, and baking pies. We are forever grateful for the many life lessons she taught, and we will miss her immensely.
Sherryln leaves to cherish her memories, a daughter, Angie (Dexter) Sims; son, Jared A. Sawyer, Sr.; three grandchildren, Jared A. Sawyer, Jr., Emani Sawyer, and Pyper Sims; sisters, Ruby D. Eley and Janice Eley Starks; brother, James F. (Mattie) Eley; sister-in-law, Joan Sawyer; nephews, Bernard (Freyda) Sawyer, Sr., Kevin Sawyer, Robert Starks, Charlie, Shelton, Earl, Derek, and Jeffrey Roulhac; nieces, Erica Sawyer and Ursula Sawyer Rogers; and cousins from the Ealey, Gray, Williams, and Clemmons families.
Funeral service will be held Saturday November 26, 2022 at 11am at Beulah Missionary Baptist Church with Rev. Jerry D. Black officiating. Viewing will be held Friday November 25, 2022 from 1pm-7pm at Donald Trimble Mortuary, Inc. The family will receive family and friends from 5pm-7pm. Burial will be in Hillandale Memorial Gardens. Click here for Livestream https://vimeo.com/773956374