Anita Crane Sherby

Anita Jane Crane Sherby, 72, of Gainesville passed away unexpectedly due to pancreatic cancer on Friday, April 3.

Anita was the oldest of four children born to her loving parents, John Howard and Margarette Wilson Crane, in Atlanta on August 14, 1947. All four kids grew up eating dinner together every night, going to church on Sundays, and spending every holiday with a big group of extended family.

She attended Dykes High School in Atlanta and Andrew College in Cuthbert before earning her bachelor’s degree in French from the University of West Georgia. Soon after college, she started working as a travel agent, which became her career for the next 15 years – giving her many opportunities to travel the world.

In 1980, she picked up a second job at Cherokee Town Club in Atlanta, where she met a young tennis pro named Gary Sherby, who became her husband of 37 years. They were married on April 2, 1983, and moved to Gainesville a few years later. Together, they started Racquets & Togs Tennis.

In 1988, their daughter Christina was born, and Anita juggled business with parenting and staying active in their local Methodist church. She loved being a mom and working with kids: she co-led Christina’s Girl Scout troop, chaperoned school field trips, served as PTA president, and taught Vacation Bible School classes, among countless other things.

In 1999, Anita began her third career – starting out as a paraprofessional in the computer lab at Fair Street Elementary School, she quickly fell in love with teaching. She went back to school in her mid-50s and earned her master’s degree in Education from Piedmont College in 2005. She continued working at Fair Street as a first grade teacher until her retirement in 2013.

After retiring, she joined the Gainesville Lions Club and became one of its most active members – managing weekly meetings, organizing fundraising events and vision screenings, coordinating eyeglass donations, and serving as District Treasurer. Despite maintaining a busy schedule, she always made time for her faith, from Wednesday bible study to Sunday worship to the small moments in between.

Friends and family often speak of Anita’s kindness, generosity, and genuine concern for others. She also had a very good sense of humor and laughed easily, although she couldn’t tell a joke. She was a procrastinator and was habitually late to just about everything, except family gatherings, where she was the first to arrive and last to leave. She had a servant’s heart, and taking care of people was always her priority.

Anita is survived by her husband Gary, her daughter Christina Sherby (John) of Oakland, California, her sister Sue Palmer (Paul) of Cleveland, her brothers John Crane (Laurie) of Dawsonville and Les Crane (Cindy) of Jefferson, and many cousins, nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews.

Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, Anita’s immediate family will have a private graveside service at Midway United Methodist Church Cemetery in Forsyth County. A celebration of her life will be held at a later date.

For future details about the celebration, or to share stories and memories with Anita’s family, please visit anitasherby.wordpress.com.

Little & Davenport Funeral Home and Crematory, 355 Dawsonville Highway SW, Gainesville, GA 30501 is in charge of arrangements. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made either by check to the Gainesville Lions Club, PO Box 963, Gainesville, GA 30503, or online to the Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation at lionslighthouse.org.