Born in the early morning hours of December 1, 1954, and raised on the great plains of Hays, Kansas, Sherrie Roth Cronin peacefully exhaled her last breath on the night of October 23, 2023, surrounded by love, in the mountains of North Carolina, after a hard fought battle with cancer.
She was an engaging child, curious about our planet and the limitless mysteries of space. She also had a vivid imagination and used it, from an early age, to create expansive new worlds, twisting plots and intriguing characters, through her gift of storytelling. That set the stage. Before graduating from Hays High School in 1972, she was a permanent fixture on the Honor Roll, Editor of the school newspaper, star on the Debate Team, won the State Championship for Extemporaneous Speaking, and was the State Chairman of a national teenage political association. She published a short story in Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine at the age of 21, received a degree in journalism from Northwestern University and a degree in geology from Colorado School of Mines, then canoed 500 miles down the Coppermine River in 1978. This was the launch pad for a decades long career as a geophysicist, interpreting seismic data, and spending time out on the rigs, all while showing up tirelessly for her husband, three children and parents.
Her career took her from Chicago, Illinois to Golden, Colorado to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to Fort Worth and Houston, Texas, before retiring in Black Mountain, North Carolina. To round out this remarkable life, Sherrie traveled extensively to 46 countries, earned her Private Pilot’s license, achieved the status of solo skydiver, drove cross-country to Burning Man, volunteered for a trio of meaningful causes; the local library, a domestic violence hotline, and the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association. And she still managed to find the time, energy, and inspiration to fulfill one of her greatest, lifelong passions, storytelling, as she proudly self-published 12 full-length novels.
Sherrie is loved and survived by her husband of 42 years, Kevin Cronin of Black Mountain, NC, her sister, June Roth Hanson (Gary) of Galena, Illinois, her three children, Francis-Casey Roth Cronin of San Francisco, CA, Shenandoah-Marie Vonfeldt Cronin (John Reyna) of Dallas, Texas and Emerald-Teresa McManus Cronin of Chicago, Illinois. She is preceded in death by her mom and dad, Mary Jane Von Feldt Roth and Francis Joseph Roth, both of Hays, Kansas. Sherrie was a wonderful mom, sister, wife, daughter, and friend.
She was fierce, interesting, kind, curious, driven, brilliant, creative and generous. She will be missed more than words can express. An inquisitive scientist, eloquent storyteller and avid adventurer, she gave of her time and her talents to help make this a better world.
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