Sherri Lynn Thune, 69, of Climax, MN, passed away early Sunday evening, December 22, 2024, at the Sanford Medical Center in Fargo, ND with
family at her side. Sherri and her loving family had together been struggling with her ALS diagnosis for over the past 5 years.
Sherri was born in Crookston, MN, on November 16, 1955, one of 7 children of the union of Randolph and (Ruth) Audrey (Salveson) Christianson. Sadly, one of her siblings was stillborn. Sherri grew up on her family’s Lowell township farm and was baptized and confirmed at Trinity Lutheran Church. At the age of 3, a brain tumor was discovered and was operated on successfully. However, the recovery afterward brought its own challenges. Moving forward she persevered and went on to graduate from Crookston Central High School with the Class of 1975. While in high school, she was a candy striper volunteer at the Villa St. Vincent Nursing Home and, after graduation, continued to work there as a CNA for several years.
Sherri was united in marriage to Barry W. Thune at the Trinity Lutheran Church on June 23, 1978, and the couple made their home on the Thune farm near Climax. In the coming years, they would be blessed by the births of their three children: Justin, Karielle, and Dawn. Sherri loved being a wife, mom, and homemaker. She devoted her life to her family and never missed any of the kids’ games, concerts, or other school and church events. She was proudly a para for the Climax School District for just over 22 years. At first, she worked with students of all levels in the school but eventually specialized in caring for the needs of children enrolled in preschool and kindergarten. There are countless numbers of kids who lovingly remember their “school Mom”, “Miss Sherri”. Sherri also provided cleaning services to homeowners around the Climax area.
In 2021 Sherri and Barry decided it was time to retire and enjoy spending more time together visiting the kids and doing some traveling. Unfortunately, Sherri had noticed she was having some issues with her balance and knew that something wasn’t quite right. She began doctoring but no one could pinpoint exactly what was wrong. She and Barry eventually went to Mayo in Rochester where one of her doctors told Sherri, “We call you the puzzle patient”. Finally with more testing she was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which is a hard disease and very debilitating over time. Barry took excellent care of his beloved soulmate, saying, “She would do the same for me”. The kids all made it home as much as possible to help and valued their time together.
Barry took Sherri to Sanford in Fargo this past Saturday, December 21st. On Sunday the family all gathered in her room as Sherri rested with closed
eyes and unable to speak. Barry asked the grandkids to talk about all the fun stuff they did with grandma. She smiled hearing them share stories.
They all knew she heard as they received a thumbs up in response. A short time later she went gracefully to her heavenly home.
Sherri was a longtime member of the Sand Hill Lutheran Church and WELCA, participated in events with the Climax Community Club, and
enjoyed coffee and fellowship with a group of friends, even hosting them in her home just a few weeks ago. For years following her diagnosis, she and
Barry traveled to Fargo to join other families who were living and coping with ALS.
Sherri will be lovingly remembered forever by Barry, her husband and the love of her life for over 46 years; their 3 children: Justin Thune of Fargo,
ND, Karielle and Francis Borts of Omaha, NE, and Dawn and James Simpkins of Fargo; 6 grandchildren: Kenlie Nelson, Kasen Thune; Faith,
Kamden, and Hope Borts; and Jaxson Simpkins; her 5 siblings: Pat Christianson of St. Paul, MN, Lon (Nancy) Christianson of Chapel Hill, NC,
Mark (Loni) Christianson of Fargo, ND , Heidi McJunkins of Columbus, OH, and Kim (David) Wagner of Bellingham, WA; together with many nieces,
nephews, extended family, and friends. From Barry’s side of the family, she is survived by his 4 siblings: Annette (Richard) Hegg of Crookston, MN,
Dennis Thune of Prescott, AZ, Janet (Dale) Sorenson of Fisher, MN, and UnaRae Smith of Ramsey, MN; brother-in-law, Perry (Nancy) Bjornrud of
Champlin, MN; and other family members.
Sherri was preceded in death by her parents, Randy and Audrey Christianson; an infant sister; brother-in-law, Chuck Millard; parents-in-law, Alton and Norma Thune; sister-in-law, Kathy Thune; brother-in-law, Stewart Smith; and uncle and aunt, Palmer and Bernice Bjornrud. Blessed be the memory of Sherri Lynn (Christianson) Thune.
The funeral service for Sherri will be held at 11:00 a.m., Monday, December 30, 2024, in Sand Hill Lutheran Church, rural Climax, with The Rev. Joy Grainger officiating. Visitation will be for one hour prior to the funeral. There will also be a visitation at the Stenshoel-Houske Funeral Home in Crookston on Sunday, December 29th, from 4-6:00 p.m., with a 6:00 p.m. prayer service. Both the funeral and the prayer service will be livestreamed by going to Sherri’s obituary page at www.stenshoelhouske.com.
Burial will be in the Sand Hill Cemetery following the funeral.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial in Sherri’s name to the ALS Association, Tomassoni Caregiver Support Program, Healthwell Foundation, and
Team Gleason. Our family would like to acknowledge these programs for greatly supporting our loved one, Sherri. We would also like to acknowledge the Fargo ALS Chapter for their organized quarterly visits for Sherri’s care.
The post Sherri Lynn Thune – OBIT first appeared on KROX.
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