Sherri Lynn Coutts (age 48) passed away peacefully in her home in Mississauga, Ontario, surrounded by her loving family on Sunday, March 17th, 2024.
Born June 19, 1975 and raised in small town Orton, Ontario, Sherri graduated from the University of Waterloo with a degree in English Literature and History. Throughout her life, Sher was adventurous and loved to travel. She spent several years living outside of Ontario, including time in Europe and almost a decade in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She visited every US state save two, every Canadian province save one, and multiple countries around the world. On her many adventures, Sherri camped out in a Moroccan desert and on the Arctic Circle. She climbed cathedrals in England and visited castles in Scotland. She rode the waves in Mexico and waterslides in the Caribbean. She visited multiple theme parks, some several times, and particularly enjoyed the thrill of roller coasters. Yet Sher also loved visiting quiet museums and historical sites as well as parks for serene nature walks or exhilarating treetop trekking and ziplining over the treetops. The variety of her travel styles and enjoyments lines up with two of her favourite sayings – “variety is the spice of life” – and – “live life to the fullest!”
Sher was also an avid reader and book lover and read thousands of books of fiction and nonfiction spanning multiple genres. Her love of history, science, and reading granted her a near-encyclopedic knowledge of esoteric facts, making her a formidable opponent in any trivia game, all of which (except sports trivia) she loved playing. She also enjoyed, and was nearly unbeatable at cribbage, and enjoyed a family night at home or at the cottage playing various card and board games. Sher also loved discussing and following politics and world affairs. Whether it was a local municipal bylaw discussion by city council or a new update from the United Nations, Sher enjoyed engaging in a healthy and lively debate on the pros and cons of the proposed measure and its ideological underpinnings and would of course bring in references from throughout history to support her points.
Sher had a generous and caring personality, always eager to help and always thinking of others. Sher devoted many hours to volunteering, supporting various entities including our local Port Credit Community, dog park, Kenollie Public School, and of course the many years she dedicated to aiding all three levels of government here – local municipal councillors, as well as the provincial and federal Liberal party – through multiple elections (who knew one garage could hold so many lawn signs). Her commitment and enthusiasm toward her volunteer work recently earned her recognition with a volunteer of the year award for her contributions and willingness to go the extra mile, be it toy drive collection for the local fall fair or making late-night lawn sign pickups and treats for all the other volunteers.
Sherri leaves behind cherished memories and a loving family. She is survived by her family Christine Hagyard and Christian Leblanc and beloved children Brandon, Alex, and Adrian Hagyard; her father Rod and stepmother Corie Coutts; her siblings Leigh Ann Pitre and her husband Rob Pitre; Tracy Coutts, Brad Coutts; her nieces Emma and Keira, nephew Josh; a bevy of loving aunts, uncles, cousins; extended Hagyard and Leblanc families; and five pets.
We will be celebrating Sherri's life at Steckley-Gooderham Funeral Home, 30 Worsley St, Barrie, ON, on Wednesday, March 27th, from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. with words of remembrance starting at 3:30 p.m. This ceremony will allow friends and family to gather and share memories and stories to honour and remember Sher. In the near future, Sherri will be laid to rest with her late mother Judith Ann Coutts (nee Keown) at Barrie Union Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers and in honour of Sherri's spirit and zest for exploring new experiences, we encourage you to step out of your comfort zone and embrace something new. Try a new food, travel to a new place, read a book or watch a movie from a new-to-you genre, have an exciting new experience with your friends and family or solo. Your willingness to embark on unfamiliar paths would truly honour her memory.
If you wish to leave a donation in Sher’s memory, Sher was a supporter of the World WildLife Fund and the Heart and Stroke Foundation; or the Canadian Cancer Society is another option to fund research to stop brain and other cancers in our future.
Sherri will be dearly missed and forever remembered by all whose lives she touched.
Online memories and condolences may be forwarded via www.steckleygooderham.com