Sherrill Lizer

Sherrill Virginia Dukeminier Lizer passed away peacefully in her home, December 5th, 2022. Sherrill was born on February 2, 1941, in Las Vegas New Mexico to parents Lillian Weir Dukeminier and Ray L Dukeminier Sherrill graduated from Santa Fe High School and continued her education at University of Colorado, Boulder. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Technology. During her summer breaks from her studies, she worked for AT&T as a telephone operator. Sherrill married Wayne H. Lizer August 8, 1964. Their ceremony was held in the historic Catholic Loretto Chapel in Santa Fe, NM. The newlyweds moved to Las Cruces, New Mexico where Sherrill worked in a local hospital while her husband attended New Mexico State University. They had two sons, Perry and Patrick Lizer. The family moved to Fruita, Colorado in 1976. In Fruita, Sherrill worked for the CSU extension office, providing nutrition and health education services. One adventurous job Sherrill took on was travelling the area working to complete a fruit tree survey for a government agency. She shared many stories of the adventures that job gave her. Sherrill’s final place of employment was with WH Lizer & Associates, the company her husband founded. Sherrill oversaw managing the office, clerical, billing and accounting tasks. She was even known to go out in the field with Wayne as a survey assistant. Sherrill was always one for traveling and she did have a few grand trips in her life. For example, in 1973, the family embarked on a 6,000-mile road trip! They travelled to the east coast, visiting sites along the way in Washington DC, Maine, Indiana, Illinois, Niagara Falls, and the Ozark mountains. Wayne and Sherrill also visited Perry in North Pole, Alaska. There she fished for King Salmon and visited the sites such as the Artic Circle and Denali National Park. Sherrill and her youngest son Patrick travelled to Seattle. Hawaii was another dream trip for her! In honor of their 25th wedding anniversary, Perry was able to bring Wayne and Sherrill to Germany (where Perry was stationed with the Air Force). They travelled to Austria, Switzerland and Paris! Sherrill enjoyed the sights and was so excited to shop for a true Black Forest cuckoo clock. Sherrill was a woman of many interests and hobbies, including music, cooking, gardening, and gemstones. Her music is what she was probably most known for. She learned to play piano as a young girl. She and Wayne played in a band from 1986-2019. They would play at the Grand Junction Senior REC Center dances once a week with Ted and Margie Vath. Her favorite dance was “The Purple Dance” to celebrate her birthday. They also played a few times for the Grand Junction October Fest. Sherrill, playing piano, Wayne playing the fiddle, banjo and guitar. They would play early 20th century popular music, waltzes, country western and polkas. Sherrill would also often play at local nursing homes, providing entertainment and enjoyment all around. Sherrill was always adventurous in the kitchen and loved to learn how to cook different meals from her friends. Sherrill’s love of gardening was epic. She could plant, grow, cultivate almost anything. She could identify and tell stories about most any plant she saw, even as we drove around town. She was well known to take seeds of something she found very tasty and try to grow it so she could have them at home. She was meticulous in her record keeping every step of the way. She truly had a scientific mindset! Sherrill loved animals, particularly cats. She would always try to save and care for those that would show up at her house. Jewelry was also an interest for her. Not just something pretty, but the actual gemology/science details. She watched JTV as much for something pretty as for the scientific knowledge she would gain. She always had a detailed understanding of the gemstone, where it was mined or produced, the types or colors. Here again she kept notebooks of meticulous records of the information she learned. She sure did train her youngest grandson in this. After the death of her husband Wayne, Sherrill moved to Pueblo West to live with her oldest son Perry and his family. This was a true blessing. Sherrill’s ornery sense of humor, inquisitive nature and desire to create a garden oasis right here in Pueblo West kept us all on our toes! She had a special connection with each of grandchildren and their lives are so much the richer for her having been there. Sherrill is preceded in death by her parents, her siblings Robert Dukeminier, Roy Dukeminier and her loving husband of 54 years, Wayne Harlan Lizer. Sherrill is survived by her siblings Gayle McGuffin, James (Pam) Dukeminier, Gerald (Donna) Dukeminier, Debra (Joe) Hodges; sons Perry (Cherie) Lizer, Patrick Lizer, her grandchildren Sarah, Matthew and Nicholas Lizer as well as numerous nieces and nephews and many dear friends. Sherrill was always a kind and considerate woman. Her sense of humor and enjoyment of even the small things in life were an inspiration. Sherrill was well liked in her music and dance communities. She easily made friends, even on a simple car ride to the doctor’s office. We love her and she will be greatly missed. Memorial Service, 3:00pm, Friday, January 27, 2023, Romero Family Funeral Home. Service may be viewed through Live stream on Facebook and YouTube at Romero Family Funeral Home Pueblo.

Sherrill Lizer

February 2, 1941 - December 5, 2022