Sherrye Colleen Remkes Graves

Sherrye Colleen Remkes Graves, a retired elementary teacher who was a prolific reader of mystery novels, died Saturday, March 5th at Houston Methodist Baytown Hospital. This lifetime resident of Dayton, and 12th generation Texan, was 72 years old.

Sherrye was the daughter of Evelyn Odessa and H.C. Remkes, owners of People’s Cash Store Grocery and Remkes Hardware of Dayton; sister of Judy Remkes Henry.

She was a 1968 graduate of Dayton High School, and went on to study elementary education at Sam Houston State University where she earned a bachelor’s degree. Before retiring from teaching, she obtained a master’s in education so she could be a better teacher to the kids she loved so much.

In the early 1970s, Sherrye met her husband, Bill Graves. They married and stayed in Dayton where they welcomed their only daughter, Rebecca-Judyth Graves Zurcher, in 1976.

September of 1979 brought the biggest change to Sherrye’s life. A drunk driver struck the vehicle she, her husband, mother, and three-year-old daughter were traveling in. Sherrye and her daughter were the only two to survive the accident.

Sherrye finally retired after 29 years of teaching, but still stayed active in the First United Methodist Church of Dayton. In addition to church activities, Sherrye spent a lot of time researching the genealogy of her family and joined just about any genealogical group she could. She was a proud member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Daughters of the Republic of Texas, Daughters of the Confederacy, the Magna Carta Dames, and the Canary Islanders Descendants Family Association.

You’d be hard pressed to find a bigger lover of history, or someone more proud of their Texas heritage.

She is survived by her daughter, Rebecca-Judyth Graves Zurcher; son-in-law, James Zurcher; two grandsons, William and Nicholas Zurcher; one granddaughter, Catherine Zurcher; sister, Judy Remkes Henry; numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews.

Sherrye was preceded in death by her husband, Bill Graves; both of her parents, Evelyn and H.C. Remkes; her grandson Joe Zurcher.

The service for Sherrye will be on Saturday, March 12th at 10:00 A.M. at the First United Methodist Church in Dayton with Rev. Guy Williams officiating. The family will receive friends at the church from 9:00 A.M. until the service begins. Interment will follow at Magnolia Park Cemetery under the direction of Pace-Stancil Funeral Home, Dayton.