Sheryl Lynn Ramsey

Sheryl Lynn Ramsey was born on September 7th 1964, in a little prairie town in the middle of the Kickapoo Indian Reservation named Horton, Kansas. She had brown eyes as dark as the soil in those rolling hills that stretch unbroken to the horizon and a voice that would grow as rich and earthy as the wind blowing through the tall grass covering them. At the age of four her parents, Robert and Amelia Reed, moved the family from the great plains to the great black swamp in Bowling Green, Ohio. Growing up in the suburbs there, she developed a love of nature – the plants, animals, and insects she discovered in the woods and ponds she played in and around mesmerized her as she learned to see the connections between them. A love of reading and language grew in her, of holding the written words in her hands and carefully turning the pages to unfold the story as it was revealed. Sheryl followed her love of biology and literature into college where she graduated in 1986 with dual bachelor’s degrees in Biology and Creative Writing in which she focused on poetry. After graduation she got a job as a research assistant at Campbell’s Research and Development in Napoleon, Ohio where she met and later married Randy Funchion in 1987. They had two children together, Jacob and Nicholas, who she loved fiercely and instilled with kindness and a deep capacity to love. She later moved on to jobs at MCO, BioCheck Laboratories, Sun Pharmaceuticals, LexaMed, and Nostrum Labs where she worked as a microbiologist and later in her career a supervisor. The people she met, the friends she made at work, were worth more to her than any salary she was paid. Sheryl considered herself an introvert, often feeling like an outsider, but she was gifted with such empathy, was such a good listener, that everywhere she went people loved her. After divorcing Randy in 2001 she fell in love with fellow poet Matthew Ramsey, who she met in a writer’s workshop at Owens College. They were married on September 27th, 2003 and purchased an old house on Welsted Street in Napoleon. She filled that house inside and out with a myriad of plants that she arranged in such a way that it seemed that they had always been there and the house radiated light and shaped itself to fit the life it held within. Sheryl was a writer, a sculptor, a painter, a gardener, a lover of books, films, plays, music of all kinds, and video games. She loved to travel, both in the USA and abroad. One of her favorite places on earth was the Leelanau peninsula in northern Michigan where she went on many wonderful family vacations. She loved her pets, both cats and dogs, like children. Her heart went out to any animal in need of help down to the tiniest spider crawling on the countertop. Possessing a wonderful sense of humor and sharp wit, she was open minded but did not suffer fools. In November of 2024 Sheryl was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Throughout her long and difficult treatment – chemotherapy, surgery, more chemo, a clinical trial and finally hospice, she bore it every step of the way with grace; never letting the disease stop her from living her life, continuing to put beauty out into the world until her dying breath on June 11th, 2026 at her home, surrounded by music, laughter, and the voices of her family, their hearts full to the breaking with the love she gave each of them. Sheryl was preceded in death by her father Robert Reed, stepmother Patricia Reed, stepfather Gerome Hock, and dear friend Susan Way. Sheryl is survived by her husband Matthew, her sons: Jacob (Elizabeth) Funchion, Nicholas (Michaela) Funchion, grandson Bennett Funchion, her mother Amelia Reed, brother Michael Reed, niece Sarah Reed, and former husband and friend Randy Funchion. Visitation will be held on Thursday June 18th at Rodenberger-Gray Funeral Home in Napoleon, Ohio from 4:00-8:00pm. Funeral services will be conducted June 19th at the same location at 10:30AM followed by burial at Riverview Memory Gardens 29231 County Rd 424, Defiance, Ohio. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, Henry County Humane Society, or Nature’s Nursery in Waterville, Ohio. Online condolences and messages may be shared with the family at rodenbergergray.com

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Sheryl Lynn Ramsey

September 7, 1964 - June 11, 2026