Sherrill Elaine Corn Wunderlich, 84, passed away on June 22, 2026, at her home in Lincolnton, NC. She was born on St Patrick’s Day of 1942 in the small mill village of Balfour, NC, to the late Arthur and Mattie Corn, and was the oldest of three sisters.
Sherrill — known to those who loved her as Sherry — lived a life as unique and multi-faceted as the art she created. In her younger years, she worked as a stewardess for United Airlines, modeled, and competed in beauty pageants. After living in a few different states and earning a business degree in secretarial services, she briefly opened and ran a small retail gift shop called The Unicorn, worked for various companies in and around Charlotte, and eventually became an executive secretary for the architecture department at Belk Store Services, where she continued working until retirement.
But her truest work was harder to put on a resume. She was a woman ahead of her time — proposing recycling to the city of Charlotte long before they were ready or willing to embrace it, and spending years conceptualizing and developing ways to improve the lives of those struggling with trauma, addiction, and homelessness. Though her biggest ambitions never came to fruition, those she shared them with remember them as noble and altruistic, born of the limitless compassion and empathy that defined everything she did.
Expressing herself through art and writing gave Sherry great joy and was critical to her wellbeing throughout her life. She loved to sketch, paint, and make collages… and her pastel portraits of friends, family, and strangers alike were as soft and lovely as her ethereal soul. She passionately encouraged her children to express their own creativity, and her boundless imagination was a source of inspiration to all who knew her. She spent a few summers doing portraits at Carowinds theme park, where she could share her gift with the world. She was also a prolific and poetic writer, composing sweet and uplifting works as well as sad, strange, and nebulous ones – some of which only she understood the true meaning of. Her art and writings offered us a glimpse into a unique and complex mind that longed to be understood.
Too humble to ever agree, Sherry was extraordinarily intelligent, creative, and effortlessly beautiful inside and out. She saw the depth and worth in every soul, and made those closest to her feel they could accomplish anything – that they could be anything. Typically quiet and shy socially, she observed and listened intently, preferring intimate gatherings and one-on-one conversations where she could experience deeper, more meaningful connections. In family videos, she was usually the one behind the camera, documenting the lives of those she cared about most, rarely blessing us with her own sweet voice. Sherry could make ordinary moments feel like extraordinary ones, as though each one was significant. A natural caregiver, she loved fiercely and unconditionally. She was thoughtful and gave generously without hesitation, even when she was struggling herself.
Above all, Sherry possessed a spiritual and abiding love of the natural world and all life within it. It inspired awe in her and often brought her to tears. She had an innate connection with nature, especially animals, who were drawn to her gentle touch and voice. She had no doubt in her mind that we are all connected – that Mother Earth is sacred and all her children deserve to be protected and to coexist peacefully – a belief she nurtured and carried with her all her life.
Sherry was a magical unicorn doing her best to navigate the difficult realities of this world. Her soul walked a precarious line between the everyday and the mysterious realms most of us only visit in dreams. May her bright light shine forever as she explores those worlds beyond, at peace and finally free.
She is survived by her sister, Patricia Ann Corn (Pat); her three children, Theresa Lynn Wunderlich (Terry), Gregory Karl Wunderlich (Greg), and Jennifer Ann Wunderlich (Jenny); and two grandchildren, Lydia June Wunderlich-Baker and Penelope Nova Quesada.
Her father, Arthur Corn (Art), passed away in 2013. Her mother, Mattie Selina Griffin Corn, passed away in 2011. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her youngest sister, Judith Lynn Corn Moore (Lynn), who passed away in 2006.
In lieu of an official funerial service, an outdoor memorial adorned with items she treasured and flowers she loved will be created on the land she felt most connected to. Music she loved will be played, family videos and stories will be shared, and a sapling from a most beloved family oak tree will be planted with her ashes to honor her memory.
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