Dr. Sherry Folsom -Meek

     Dr. Sherry  Folsom-Meek died peacefully in her sleep on the morning of August 29, 2020 following a courageous battle with kidney disease. She was a resident of Mankato Hillcrest Rehabilitation Center, where she was happy for the great care given her by caring staff. Sherry was born on July 25, 1944 in Iowa City, Iowa to parents Richard D. Folsom and Patricia McVicker Folsom.  In 1950 she moved with her family to Spencer, Iowa, where her father set up a dental practice.  Sherry attended public schools in Spencer, graduating from Spencer High School in 1962.  She attended and graduated from Coe College in 1966 and was a member of the Kappa Delta Sorority.  She treasured the relationships she had with her high school classmates and her sorority sisters and kept in touch with them over the years, attending reunions and taking part in many diverse activities.

     In 1968 Sherry married Charles W. Meek and moved to Houston, Texas, where she taught for a year at Phyllis Wheatly High School.  The couple moved to Overland Park, Kansas, then, and Sherry began a career in real estate.  One of their greatest joys was the 1975 birth of their daughter, Patricia Lee (“Trish”) Meek.  The couple divorced in 1981, and Sherry began graduate work at Kansas University in Lawrence, Kansas.  She attained her master’s degree in adaptive physical education in 1983 and then attended Texas Woman’s University, where she obtained her doctorate in 1986.  Sherry taught at several universities prior to Minnesota State University at Mankato, where she remained until retiring in 2015.  Dr. Folsom-Meek was internationally known for her work in the field of Adapted Physical Education and had numerous awards and publications to her credit.  She was also responsible for the licensure of many dedicated teaching professionals in her field.  Sherry was also a hands-on professional, dedicating many seasons of work with Camp Courage, an organization established in 1955 to serve participants with developmental disabilities and special needs.

      Inspiration for these accomplishments was her daughter Trish, who died in 1999 at the age of 24. Sherry is survived by her sister, Virginia (“Gina”) Folsom of Ames, Iowa, brother Richard (“Kip”) Folsom, sister-in-law Sherri Graham Folsom, nephew Travis Parks, an uncle John Folsom, all of Omaha, Nebraska as well as many cousins, friends, and colleagues. She was preceded in death by her daughter Trish Meek, and her parents Dr. Richard D. and Patricia V. Folsom.  

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