Sherry Corona

Sherry Corona, 85, passed away on Friday, November 1, 2024, in Columbus, Georgia. Her unexpected passing stunned family and friends, leaving a large hole in their hearts that can never be filled.

Funeral services will be held 2:00 PM, Thursday, November 7, 2024 in the chapel of McMullen Funeral Home and Crematory. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service at the funeral home, 3874 Gentian Blvd. Columbus, Georgia 31907. Private interment will be held at Ft. Mitchell National Cemetery.

Sherry was born on September 13, 1939, in Sanford, North Carolina, to Nick and Jewell McDougald. She was raised with three younger siblings, Nickie, Ronnie, and Mike. Sherry often shared stories of her upbringing, including working in the tobacco field and not having indoor plumbing until high school. This upbringing instilled an incredible work ethic and imprinted a strong sense of humility throughout her life.

Sherry graduated from Benhaven High School where she was a great student and a cheerleader. She met Joe Corona while he was stationed at Pope Air Force Base in North Carolina. They married on January 31, 1969, and had a daughter, Debbie, and two sons, John and Joey. The family made several moves due to Joe’s military career, including California, Germany, Louisiana, and Michigan. Their last move was to Columbus, Georgia in 1982.

Sherry worked at various jobs during all the military moves, but shortly after arriving in Columbus, she found her true calling. She studied hard and passed her real estate exam on the first try. She quickly became a top performer, working first for Showcase Realty and then for Re/Max. Recognized as a member of the Million Dollar Club and receiving multiple awards during her career was only part of the story. Sherry made lifelong friendships through her work as a realtor, and always had a knack for making things happen for others. Sherry retired after more than 35 years in the industry to care for her husband Joe, who passed away in September 2023.

The defining characteristic of Sherry’s life was her incredible generosity. Whether it was time, counsel, or resources, there are innumerable examples of people she helped when they were in need. As someone who had firsthand experience seeing the transformative power of education and home ownership, she was motivated to help friends and loved ones with down payments and school tuition. And when Pam and Jill married into the family, they both agreed that they couldn’t have had better luck with a mother-in-law.

In addition to her being unfailingly generous, Sherry was also known to have a fantastic sense of humor. When her children returned home for family dinner after they were out of the house, she kindly insisted on them shopping in the pantry before they left. This led to a much-disputed story over the years when Sherry had a new bag of cookies, and in a deadpan tone told the boys to “take these cookies home, they aren’t very good.”While she always denied this attempt to pass on those subpar cookies, everyone knew it was true.

Despite her small stature, Sherry was an amazingly large presence, and her loss leaves a tremendous void in many lives.

In addition to her parents and husband Joe, Sherry was preceded in death by her brother Mike McDougald. She is survived by her sister Nickie O’Quinn of Apex, North Carolina; brother and sister-in-law Ronnie and Sharon McDougald of Michigan; sister-in-law Velma McDougald of Apex, North Carolina; daughter and son-in-law Debbie and Alan Coggins of Sanford, North Carolina; son and daughter-in-law John and Pam Corona of Columbus, Georgia; son and daughter-in-law Joe and Jill Corona of Portland, Oregon. Sherry is also survived by numerous adored grandchildren, great grandchildren, nieces, and extended family members.

Sherry Corona was deeply loved and will be greatly missed by all who knew her.