Sherry G. Kesner

Sherry Gail Kesner, 70, closed her eyes for the last time on Saturday, August 8, 2026, at her home in Highland, Illinois. She was surrounded by the people who loved her and passed peacefully with her family by her side.

Her husband of 29 years, Terry L. Monical, will miss her dearly. He endearingly called her “Sweetie” and often referred to her as the love of his life.

Her children, James L. Fritz (Lura Green) and Destiny Fritz, often spoke about how lucky they were to have won the “Mom Lottery.”

Sherry was born on September 23, 1955, to her incredible parents, Wilbur “Willie” and Dweneth “Dee” Kesner, in Highland, Illinois. During her childhood, the family moved to Marine, Illinois, where her brother, Ted Kesner, was born, and later to Grantfork, Illinois, when Sherry was a teenager. She graduated from Highland High School in 1973 and went on to attend Western Illinois University in Macomb, Illinois.

After meeting her first husband, Sherry moved to Macoupin County, Illinois, where she raised her two children, born in the late 1970s and early 1980s. After divorcing in the late 1980s, she made the decision to move her children back to her hometown of Highland, where they would grow up and graduate from high school. Sherry remained in Highland for the rest of her life.

Sherry began working for the City of Highland in 1991 as a telecommunicator for the Police Department. She enjoyed being a dispatcher, and her quick mind and natural empathy made her perfectly suited for the job. As much as she loved the work, however, the overnight shifts, holidays, and weekends away from her children eventually began to wear on her. In 1998, she moved from the Police Department to the Utilities Department, where she worked as an executive assistant with Monday-through-Friday hours. She remained there until her retirement from the City of Highland in 2016.

Her first paying job was as a waitress at Diamond Mineral Springs, beginning when she was just 14 years old. Whenever her children later complained about having to get part-time jobs as teenagers, Sherry was quick to remind them that Diamond Mineral Springs was open on every holiday and that she had learned early that hard work was simply part of life. She instilled that same work ethic and sense of responsibility in her children.

But Sherry gave her children so much more than lessons about hard work. She was the rock of the family. She was the matriarch, and the role suited her well. Her father often told her she was excellent “management material” whenever she took charge of a situation, which was often.

James and Destiny each shared a beautiful, loving, and genuine relationship with their mother. They were incredibly lucky to have her, and everyone who knew Sherry is quite sure she would have lived forever for her children if she could have.

Sherry was a single, hardworking mother of two when she met Terry Monical in 1994. They married on April 5, 1997, in Marine. For the next 29 years, they took their vows seriously. They showed each other love and respect. They loved each other’s children as if they were their own. They faced the hard times with grace and laughed wildly through the good times.

Sherry’s brother, Ted, adored his big sister and did everything he could to support her throughout her marriages and while she was raising her children. Her children have always relied on him as a comforting force in their lives, and he stayed by Sherry’s side during the final two weeks as her disease progressed. He didn’t go home. His home was right next to his big sis.

Sherry’s daughter-in-law, Lura Green, also refused to leave her side during those final two weeks. Sherry jokingly called Lura her “favorite,” because she could never choose between her two children and Lura was her only in-law. But even though she was the only in-law, Lura was more than deserving of the title. And now that Sherry is no longer the family matriarch, Lura will probably step into that role. It fits her well.

Sherry also maintained meaningful, lifelong friendships. Her friend Bambi Tebbe had been by her side since high school. Their friendship was the epitome of what a lifelong friendship should be. Through marriages, divorces, career changes, and raising children, Bambi and Sherry were thick as thieves. Even at the end, Bambi sat beside her, held her hand, and comforted her as cancer took over.

She also had a dear college friend, Deanna Brust, who was her roommate at Western Illinois University. Deanna and Sherry were intentional with each other. They made space and time for one another and never failed to show up for each other, not only during the big moments, but also during the quiet moments when life deals you a hard blow. Both of these women were extremely important to Sherry, and she passed along to her children the value of having close friends who eventually become family.

Sherry was preceded in death by her parents, Willie Kesner in 1999 and Dee Kesner in 2012, and her stepson, Lee Monical, in 2026. If there is a silver lining to her family desperately missing her, it is that she is with her mom and dad now. Just like Sherry, they were top-notch parents, and she missed them dearly in the years since their passing.

Sherry is survived by her husband, Terry Monical; her son, James L. Fritz (Lura Green); her daughter, Destiny Fritz; her brother, Ted L. Kesner (Terri); her stepdaughter, Tammy Monical (John Warfield); and her stepdaughter, Sarah Monical.

More than four years ago, Sherry was diagnosed with an aggressive and rare form of stage IV cancer that had already spread throughout her body. From the beginning, she started bargaining with God. Destiny’s 40th birthday was coming up, and a big party was planned. Her first bargain was simply to make it to that party.

Her family was blessed with an additional three and a half years with her after that.

For those four years, Sherry lived every moment as though it might be the last time she would experience it. Every Christmas, Easter, birthday, and Mother’s Day was treated as something extra special. In March 2025, she got to witness her son marry the love of his life, and a year later, she attended the first anniversary celebration of that marriage.

She was always present.

And she always will be.

Sherry was a lifelong member of Marine United Church of Christ. Her grandparents were members there. Her parents were married there. She married both of her husbands there. She was baptized and confirmed there, as were her children. Her daughter continues to attend the church regularly, and it was the church Sherry always called home.

While there were no specific charities Sherry was particularly partial to, she always supported her church. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to United Church of Christ in Marine, Illinois.

Sherry spent her life taking care of the people she loved. She leaves behind a family and a circle of friends who are better, stronger, and more loved because she was in their lives.

No services are scheduled.

Meridith Funeral Home, Highland, IL.