Sherri Lee Whaley

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Sherri L Whaley, aka Nana, busted the gates of heaven wide open on July 20, 2022 at the young age of
72. I can hear her now “What’s Up Jesus”! Although her halo might have been a tad cracked or even
broken, there is no doubt the good Lord welcomed her home as she would not have taken “NO” for an
answer.
Nana always had a beautiful smile and a crazy, sometimes X-rated, sense of humor.  She could easily
come up with a joke to tell and she always had some crazy novelty to pull out of her purse for a good
laugh.  Nana mastered everything she did and lived life to the fullest.  Even in the days she was “stuck”
at Ridgecrest she was trying to be the fun advocate. At one resident’s meeting she questioned why fans,
surround sound, and lawn chairs were not available for “those of us in here that still look good and want
to lay out in our bathing suits and get a little sun”. You could always count on her to do a crazy flip off
the diving board or turn cartwheels upon request.  She rode horses, skied (both water and snow), played
pool, and card games. She loved to gamble, fish, and swim. And of course, her all-time favorite, golf!
Her and Papa Mel loved being a part of the Dyersburg Country Club and she had a lot of good times with
the YaYa Girls and her ladies golf league.
Nana had a variety of colorful career choices over the years. She held many titles from hair stylist, wig
shop owner, chemical sales (both legal and illegal), car sales, black jack and craps dealer, and hotel
manager.  She could literally do it all!
Nana had some of the best sayings that were always life lessons. “Pretty is as pretty does”, “Spend your
money wisely”, “Respect your money”, “God gave your two gifts that can never be taken away, your
word of honor and your imagination”, “MYD, make yourself different”, “If you can beat me rocking, you
can have my chair”, and our all-time favorite “Today is the first day of the rest of your life”.
Sherri and Melvin were married on Valentine’s Day just over 32 years ago. They both loved to entertain
(probably her more than him if truth be told).  Everyone always enjoyed visiting the Whaley Resort! It
was beautiful with the pool that overlooked the lake. Nana had such a green thumb and loved plants.
She had them everywhere inside and outside of the house.  Nana decorated for every single holiday,
every single one!  She would have her fur babies decorated as well.  Her pets hit the jackpot with her as
their “Mom”.  She loved each and every one of them and spoiled them rotten.  She loved to have her
kids and grandkids come to visit. There would be swimming, fishing, playing pool, card games and
rounds of golf. And of course, she would always have quite the spread of food and there was never a
shortage of alcoholic beverages.  You know Nana was going to have her wine. She was also quite the
dancer. She loved to 2-step, with or without the wine!  Her and Melvin would show out when it came to
the dance floor. She would always embrace the opportunity to travel.  She loved cruising or flying to the
islands.
As for her faith, there is no doubt that she had a very special relationship with the Lord and Savior.
Although, as a child, she wasn’t raised in church, she always knew the need for the Lord in her life and
how important that foundation was.  She had been saved and baptized and attended the Mt. Vernon
Baptist Church in Halls, TN before moving to Jonesboro in 2019.
Nana was greeted in heaven by her mother, Ferrol Evans, husband Melvin Whaley, and brother Britt
Evans. She leaves behind a ton of golf outfits and her very spoiled dog-daughter, Bella and cat-son OD.
In addition to being blessed with a lifetime of meeting some amazing people and building friendships,
she was gifted a daughter, Tami Watlington, her husband Wayne, and grandson Preston; a bonus

granddaughter, Soni Chester and her husband Zach, and great grandson Anderson; 2 step daughters,
Jodi Mariani, her husband Anthony, and granddaughters Lauren and Payton; Amy Gunnoe, her husband
Gary, grandchildren Savannah, Trey, and Dargin; brother Steve Evans and wife Lisa; and sister-in-law
Rockie Evans.
She had a very special relationship with her daughter.  There is no doubt how much she meant to her
and although they wanted to choke one another sometimes, she is who she is today because of her
mother. They often had the unique coincidence of calling each other at the same time to even buying
the exact same items without knowing it.
Tami would like to express a special appreciation and offer a heartfelt thanks to the following people:
Linda Dickerson, who Sherri considered a sister, for providing amazing love and support for Nana.  She is
truly a gift from God. Kristen with Dierkson Hospice, she went above and beyond while caring for Nana
and always made herself available to answer any questions. She handled Nana’s antics like a pro.
Family and friends are welcome to come hang out and visit from 4:30 pm to 6:00 pm on Friday, July 29 th
at Emerson Funeral Home. Nana’s final earthly party will be at 6:00 pm.
We all know Nana loved her plants but if you would like, donations can be made to the Flo and Phil
Jones Hospice House because we all know Tami did not inherit her mother’s green thumb.