Sherrill "Sherry" Rae Oman - Morris Nilsen Funeral Chapel

Sherrill “Sherry” Rae Oman

March 4, 1947 - February 10, 2021


Sherrill Rae Oman, age 73, of Minnetonka. Born March 4, 1947, in Minneapolis, MN. Sherry was a passionate and pioneering female attorney and among the earliest women to be appointed to the board of a major Minnesota law firm. She enjoyed the challenge of practicing law and, more importantly, cherished the close relationships forged with her clients and colleagues, counting many of them among her personal friends.

Sherry shared her appreciation of other cultures and people, as well as her love of travel and baseball, with those around her, and she will always be remembered for her love, compassion, quick wit and indomitable spirit.

Sherry was preceded in death by her father, Wallace Oman; her mother, Lorraine Oman and her sister, Marsha Fellows. She is survived by her son, David and daughter-in-law Laura Oman; her sister Patricia Hoge; her nieces and nephews, Rebecca (Travis) Larson, Kim (Chris) Ordner, Jeremy Hoge, Andrew Fellows and Jonathan (Amber) Fellows, grand-nieces, grand-nephews and many friends.

A private celebration of Sherry’s life will be live-streamed at 12 noon on Thursday, February 18th.

Click here to watch Sherry’s Memorial Service.


9 Comments

  1. Anne Marie Radolinski says:

    Dear David and Laura, and all of Sherri’s family. I just received the sad news. My thoughts and prayers are with you all. Sherri was the quintessential professional as a colleague, and an amazing friend and confidant. I cherish the time I was able to spend with her and the memories. Godspeed Sherri. Kind regards, Anne Radolinski

  2. Ronalee Haugen says:

    I was sorry to learn of Sherry’s death. I enjoyed working with her at Fredrikson & Byron. My deepest sympathies to the family.

  3. Karie Miller says:

    So sad to hear this sad news. I will always fondly remember our fabulous camping and skiing trips in the ’70 & 80s! What a wonderful life we had.
    Sheri has left her mark in a lot of us and will sorely missed.

  4. Patty Lovald says:

    Having Sherri as my dear friend for many years formed a drive to thrive and live life to the fullest.
    I admired her love for David, Dolly, reading, and celebrating holidays making special recipes and serving it all lovingly fireside.
    Her dedication to her career and ability to balance it while giving quality time to her parents sisters and other family and her many friends was admirable. Thinking back the thing that resonates most aside from her being the most devoted mother on the planet was her sense of adventure and excellent foresight and expertise in planning ahead for her world wide travels. Be it spruce trees and hiking up north, enjoying surf and sandy beaches, or mountain vistas in the Big Horns……..a bold life for a bold, daring and barrier breaking woman.
    Your light with continue to shine on our paths Sherri.
    Patty

  5. Sue Steinwall says:

    David and Laura, I’m so sorry for your loss; Sherry was a force of nature and I’m sure that the world seems empty to you right now. I had the great privilege to count Sherry as a friend and work colleague. We had some great laughs, even at work. So very sorry to say good-bye to one of law’s pioneers. Please take care.

  6. Karen Brewer says:

    David and Laura, may you be comforted during this time of parting. Sherri was an amazing woman and I was privileged to work with her for many years and get to know her as a friend. She truly had an “indomitable spirit” and a love of people and life. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. Take care, Karen Brewer

  7. Harry Yaffe says:

    Sherry represented our companies for thirty five years. During that time, she provided us with exemplary service, and my wife and I and Sherry became good friends. We miss her. May her memory be a blessing for David, Laura, and all her family.

    Harry and Belle Yaffe

  8. Eric Anderson says:

    David and Laura, I was blessed to work with your mother/mother-in-law for several years, and she is remembered as a wonderful colleague and friend. She was a great, strong person and lawyer, and made those she worked with better people and lawyers. Everything in David’s eulogy rang true with me. I wish you peace in this time of loss.

  9. Chuck Modell says:

    David, I worked with Sherry at Larkin Hoffman. I just read of her passing in Bench & Bar today. My relationship with your mother dated back to before you were born. Sherry was all business, except for the first time she brought you into the office; i never saw such a big smile on her face as that day. Sherry was a great lawyer and leader. She and I and Ed Driscoll were kind of a 3 Musketeers here at Larkin, and it was her counsel that led Ed to become President of the firm. Your mom was the first person he wanted on his Board, even though women did not really serve on law firm Boards at the time. She was instrumental in helping our firm move from a first generation firm with a tenuous future to one that continues strong today. We were very sorry to see her move on, but she had developed a strong bond practice that was unlike anything else we did. In fact, I suspect she was also one of the first female attorneys to work in that area in Minnesota.

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