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Sherrill Lynn Nash, 30, overcame physical disabilities

Her grit and determination inspired others.

Sherrill Lynn Nash
Sherrill Lynn NashRead more

A MURAL at 68th and Wyncote avenues in West Oak Lane depicts a group of determined drug warriors gathering to fight the dealers.

Look carefully and you'll see a little pigtailed girl of 7 standing with her father, looking just as determined.

The little girl was Sherrill Lynn Nash, proudly marching with her father, Joseph Nash, to rid their neighborhood of the scourge of drugs.

All her life, Sherrill had the grit and drive of the true fighter, not only against drugs but also in her own life, refusing to let serious physical disabilities keep her from living to the fullest.

She died Sunday at age 30. The critical diabetes that had struck her at 15, and that eventually destroyed her kidneys and pancreas, finally brought her down.

But not without a fight.

Last April, she received a kidney and pancreas transplant.

"She did not give up when the pancreas failed and had to be removed," her family said. "Sherrill stayed focused on going on with her life."

She would say, "Somebody had to die so that she could live."

"She may have been small in stature, but she was strong-willed and determined to complete any task she set her mind to," her family said.

At 7, she took her dog to the Wyncote Animal Hospital for shots. Somehow the dog broke through a fence and was lost.

Sherrill was outraged. She wrote a letter to the veterinarian, threatening to get a lawyer and prosecute him if he didn't replace her dog. He eventually did, saving himself from further childhood wrath.

Her determination was expressed again years later when she became ill before receiving her bachelor's degree in computer information system management from Delaware Valley College in 2009.

There was a serious question of whether she would be able to get across the stage to receive the diploma. A wheelchair or walker was considered.

No way. Sherrill was going to walk across that stage, and she did so, gripping her father's arm. It was a proud moment for both of them.

Sherrill was born in Philadelphia, the only child of Joseph and Shirley B. Nash. She attended the private Ivy Leaf Elementary School, and went on to the Philadelphia High School for Girls. When the family moved to Elkins Park, she transferred to Abington High School, from which she graduated.

Growing up in West Oak Lane, Sherrill was referred to as a "neighborhood baby." If it "takes a village" to raise a child, Sherrill got the benefit of a close-knit community in which all the neighbors knew and loved her.

At 10, Sherrill started a small business on the bottom step of her home, selling candy to neighborhood children. She framed the first dollar she made.

Sherrill was baptized at Grace Community Baptist Church. She taught a Bible class for children at a neighboring church. She later joined Bethlehem Baptist Church in Spring House, Montgomery County, where she completed discipleship classes.

Her parents are her only survivors.

Services: 10 a.m. Saturday at Bethlehem Baptist Church, 712 Penllyn Pike, Spring House. Friends may call at 8 a.m. Burial will be in Chelten Hills Cemetery.