Ruth Katherine “Kay” Sherman (nee Horne) 96, of Cortland, New York, died peacefully on April 18, 2026, at the Groton Community Health Care Center, Groton, NY, with her daughter by her side.
Kay was born in Brookfield on Jan. 10, 1930, daughter of the late George and Ruth Proctor Horne. She went through the Riverside school system, starting in Hollywood and graduated valedictorian from Riverside-Brookfield High School. After spending a year at the University of Colorado at Boulder, she returned to work for the Sherman-Klove tool company in Oak Park before marrying Dave Sherman in 1950.
She found joy in many hobbies. She was a spirited line dancer during her years in Florida. As an avid lifetime reader, she recalled her favorite moments as a child involved climbing a crabapple tree with a book and a pillow to spend her afternoons. She also valued thrift shopping with her daughter Sue in Florida and Chicagoland. Her creative spirit was also evident in her passion for quilting.
Kay is survived by her son, Dwight Sherman, and his wife, Janet; her daughter, Sue Sherman-Broyles and her husband Steve; and her daughter-in-law Sue Sherman; her grandchildren, Ashley Piper and her husband Josh, Ryan Sherman and his wife Tia, Spencer Sherman, Kevin Sherman and his wife Carly, Sydney Neal and her husband Stephen, Christopher Broyles and his wife Lauren, Kelly Lyson and her husband Peter, and Cortland Broyles; her 15 great-grandchildren; and her brother-in-law, Philip Franks.
Kay was preceded in death by her husband, David Sherman, in 1996; her son, William Sherman in 2019; her brother, Denny Horne; and her sister, Fritzi Franks.
Private graveside services will be held at the Bronswood Cemetery in Hinsdale.