Sherrana Anderson Abderhalden

• Sherrana Abderhalden was a mini but mighty force. Born in the unincorporated town of Winslow, Arkansas, Sherrana and her older sister, Lana, spent their early years in Carmel, California, where her father was an English teacher and her mother was a homemaker. They moved to the Midland, Texas, area and then to Wichita, Kansas, while her sister stayed with family in Texas. Sherrana learned to throw a mean baton and graduated from North High School. She took college courses before becoming a talented draftsman working for Mobil Oil Corporation.
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Sherrana met the love of her life, Ronald Abderhalden, on a tennis court in Wichita’s Riverside Park. Their first date was at El Charro. He proposed three times before she said yes. She hand-sewed hundreds of beads on her wedding dress. With Ron’s mom and aunt as witnesses, they married in Denver and honeymooned in Breckenridge and Aspen. Sherrana then settled into her true calling as a homemaker extraordinaire while championing Ron throughout his career. The couple raised three daughters, traveled the world, and loved to call Wichita home.

If their house was Ron’s castle, their home was Sherrana’s haven; she meticulously made it perfect for their family. And boy, was it green. Her favorite color (somewhere between hunter and moss) was tastefully — everywhere. Even her Midori liqueur cake had beautiful green icing. Decorating was her forte, and she was also a professional-level gift wrapper. And, as a child of the ’50s, she made sure to “save the wrapping” so it could be reused later.

One social highlight Sherrana enjoyed was chairing a fundraising event for St. Joseph Medical Center. The name of the benefit? The Emerald Ball (how fitting). She ensured that every detail was taken care of, on theme and gorgeous, and the event raised enough funds to purchase a van for the hospital.

Sherrana cherished her relationship with Lana. Despite the miles separating them, they were as close as two sisters could be, supporting each other through all of life’s ups and downs and celebrating their children’s milestones with gusto. In Wichita, Sherrana’s closest, lifelong friends were Sonny Ropfogel and La Roda Murphy. (Would’ve been a hoot to be a fly on the wall during their get-togethers!) And she stayed in close touch with longtime friends Joy Parkhurst of Denver and Ann Freeman of New York.

Above all, Sherrana will be remembered as a beautiful, dedicated wife, mom and grammy who loved her family more than anything. She’ll be forever missed and always thought of with heaps of love by those lucky enough to know her.

Sherrana is preceded in death by her soulmate, Ronald Abderhalden; her sister, Lana Zoerb; and her parents, Roy and Lila Anderson. She is survived by her daughters, Sherri Hancock, Renee (Jim) Phillips and Sheila (Steve — fiancé) Keaton, all of Wichita; grandchildren Andrea (Michael) Mashburn and Ryan (Eli) Hancock, both of Dallas; Courtney Phillips of Topeka; and Abby and Molly Krehbiel, both of Wichita; and great-grandchildren Chase and Reese Mashburn of Dallas.

Joint Celebration of Life

The family invites those who knew and loved Ron and Sherrana to help us remember and celebrate these two special people: 10 a.m.–noon (with remarks at 10:45) on Saturday, July 12, at the Cozine Life Events Center. A live feed will be available for those unable to attend.

• In lieu of flowers, please send donations to support two of their loves: art and animals.
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• Wichita Art Museum
• 1400 Museum Blvd.
• Wichita, KS 67203
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• Kansas Humane Society
• 3313 N Hillside St.
• Wichita, KS 67219