Sheri Lee Nieder, 56, of Lawrence, KS, passed away on Tuesday, April 14th, 2020 at home surrounded by her family.
Sheri was born in Lawrence on May 5th, 1963. She grew up with her brother, Kyle Petrie and sisters, Jeri Jo Powers and Teri Smith with two loving parents, Gerald and Laura Petrie. Later in life they adopted her youngest brother, Steven Petrie. Growing up in Lawrence, Sheri was the dreamer, the artist, the tender hearted one who selected Christmas trees based on the one she thought needed a home (AKA the saddest looking tree on the lot).
She married the love of her life; Mike Nieder on April 17th, 1982. The start of an amazing (and her proudest) adventure. In their almost 38 years as partners they started and ran multiple successful businesses and built their lives as a family of 6 – Jerod (38), Brityn (36), Taeler (30) and Cale (27). Sheri simply enjoyed having “all of her babies” in the same place, no matter the location. As a family, they enjoyed vacationing, marathon shopping days and simply being at home on the back deck.
In 2017, Sheri was diagnosed with breast cancer. Her journey with cancer was long and tough, but there isn’t a stronger woman cut out for that journey. You wouldn’t hear Sheri complain, you would never hear a negative comment about the treatments she was going through and she simply “Never Gave Up”. Unfortunately, the cancer got to a point of being untreatable and, again, she wouldn’t let cancer win. She took her fate into her own hands and chose to spend the rest of her time with her family at home surrounded by love and support.
Sheri was known for many things:
“The Friendly Voice of Jayhawk Guttering” – Sheri and Mike started Nieder Contracting, Inc. and later purchased Jayhawk Guttering. A proud family-owned, local business that was able to support the family of their dreams.
Sister: Our closest confidante and the one whose quick wit brought laughter to our lives. We are forever grateful we got to live this life with her. We will see her again one day.
Friend: Sheri had many close friends and she always asked everyone about their families. She loved to go to Friday night dinner and Taco Tuesday, especially if the venue had a good cheeseburger and a great chocolate dessert. She was always there and would always make her friends find the positive in almost any situation. She had been given many obstacles in life, but she never complained, and she always saw the bright side and felt that she was a blessed and lucky person because of her family and friends. She will be missed dearly by everyone that knew her and had the privilege of being her family and friend.
The creator of the Lawrence Elves. A non-profit organization that gave back to children in need in USD 497. The idea stemmed from Santa in which donors remain completely anonymous and surprised children with necessary items or services for them and their families. Sheri was always very resourceful, and she used her skills to combine small donations to make a big difference. Since shoes were a common request, she was able to partner with shoe stores to acquire large quantities at lower costs to stretch donated funds further. One family had an unfortunate situation with an insect infestation and couldn’t afford extermination, therefore the kids were coming to school covered in bug bites. Sheri was able to rally her troops and pretty soon, thanks to the Lawrence Elves, she learned that the kids ran to their counselor one day at school and cheerfully declared that they didn’t have any itchy bites.
After her son’s accident in December 2011 Sheri decided to devote her time to Jerod’s recovery and handed over the Lawrence Elves foundation to Kristen Price. Sheri and the rest of the family have seen Jerod through many ups and downs on his journey including his hip surgery in California and finally receiving an epidural stimulator and continued therapy in Louisville, KY.
Nona – the nickname her grandkids, Enzo (8) and Sloan (5), so lovingly called her. She was the most “extra” of grandparents. From the most meaningful gifts and surprises to mornings spent cuddling up and watching cartoons. She was always the one giving her grandkids her full attention; she would patiently sit and do crafts with them or play games of their imagination. They will remember all her songs she always sang to them, her favorite treats she shared and always let them have the last bite, and how she waited at the door for them when they came to visit.
Wife, mom, friend… regardless of how one knew her she was known for her infectious smile, her kind heart and her love for shoes!
Sheri is survived by her husband, Mike (Lawrence, KS), son and his girlfriend, Jerod Nieder and Hanna Alcock (Louisville, KY), daughter and son-in-law, Brityn and Steve Summers (Lee’s Summit, MO), daughter, Taeler Nieder (Lawrence, KS), son and soon-to-be daughter-in-law, Cale Nieder and Ashley Williams (Albuquerque, NM) and her two “grands”, Enzo and Sloan Summers.
A private burial is taking place at Memorial Park in Lawrence, KS at 2:00 pm on Friday, April 17th. Guests are welcome to attend, however, due to the current mandate of social distancing guests must remain in or near their vehicle. A celebration of life will be planned later in the year. Please visit our memorial website to offer condolences and share some of your fondest memories of Sheri at www.forevermissed.com/sheri-lee-nieder
The family requests all donations be sent to the Christopher and Dana Reeves foundation by check or online donation at:
Christopher and Dana Reeves Foundation
Attention: Team Reeve
636 Morris Turnpike, Suite 3a
Short Hills, NJ 07078
https://give.reeve.org/fundraiser/2544831
