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Sheridan R. “Sherry” Matthies, 87, of Killingworth passed away peacefully in her home in the early hours of Jan. 1. Born Oct. 21, 1934, Sherry was the only child of Alexander and Irene Raeburn of Waterbury. After graduating from Katharine Gibbs Secretarial School in Boston, Sherry married Franklyn Matthies of Seymour on Nov. 9, 1956; they had five children together.

Born into a generation that saw the world change in dramatic fashion, Sherry never lost sight of who she was or what was important to her. Family and animal welfare were the center of her world. Gifted with an extraordinarily creative intelligence and a boundless spirit of generosity, she pursued her passions with fervor and tenacity.

A woman of many creative interests and abilities, Sherry always had her nimble hands in a project. Her most beloved hobbies required patience and precision and spoke to her penchant for creating beauty in the finest details. If you were ever lucky enough to celebrate Christmas at her house, you were met with a 10-foot Christmas tree decorated top to bottom with dozens of sparkling, elaborately hand-crafted ornaments, personalized needlepoint Christmas stockings, and gifts that were always thoughtfully chosen or created. And if you ever felt a chill, a homemade quilt was never far from reach. Nothing brought her more joy than giving what she had to those she loved.

Though her quilts were legendary, her most notable accomplishment was the founding of Greystone Farm in Killingworth. Sherry built the well-respected equestrian training facility from the ground up, each year gaining notoriety within the competitive equestrian show circuit. Over the subsequent 30 years, the horses, trainers, riders, groundskeepers, and families that frequented Greystone Farm became a part of her family. She even hosted a wedding for two of her beloved staff on the farm’s grounds. Whether she was working with her own cherished horses or those boarding at the facility, Sherry was heavily involved in the day-to-day activities of the barn, never shying away from the hard work of mucking stalls, tossing hay from the loft, or mending tack. She had a keen eye for innate talent and was quick to encourage on-lookers to give the sport a try, which inadvertently inspired budding equestrian enthusiasts. Her passion for the sport and horses was undeniable, but her love of animals extended beyond the barn. Sherry had an inexplicable ability to connect with any animal, which was evident in her relationships with every barn cat and dog that called the farm home.

She was preceded in death by two daughters, Mallory Gay Diedrich and Tanya Gay Matthies, as well as her husband of 62 years, Franklyn Matthies, Sherry now rests at peace with those who have gone before her.

Her legacy lives on with her sons Guy (Anne) Matthies of Madison and Garrison Matthies of Clinton; her daughter Kimberly Groat of Newport, New Hampshire; her grandchildren Christopher (Whitney) Matthies of Raleigh, North Carolina, Katherine (Nicholas) Damore of Guilford, Alexander Matthies of Middletown, and Rachal Matthies of Savannah, Georgia; and four great-grandchildren.

In honor of her memory, we encourage donations to the ASPCA, P.O. Box 96929, Washington, DC 20090-6929, www.aspca.org and Connecticut Humane Society, 701 Russell Road, Newington, CT 06111, https://cthumane.org/. Arrangements are in the care of the Guilford Funeral Home, 115 Church Street, Guilford. To share a memory or leave condolences, visit www.guilfordfuneralhome.com.