Sherra "Shay" Anthony

Sherra (Shay) Anthony 1976 – 2021 Sherra (Shay) Johnee (Ford) Anthony, died on April 17, 2021 as a result of a jet ski accident while on vacation with her husband and two boys. She was born March 12, 1976, in the West Penn Hospital, Allegheny County, Pittsburgh, PA She is survived by her husband William A. Anthony Jr, her sons Che Emanuel Algae Anthony and Tepp Jacob Anthony. Her parents Johnny and Rose Ann (Jones) Ford. Her siblings Terrance Ford, Yona and Roy Washington, Terra Ford and Tara and General Smith. She leaves to mourn and cherish a life well lived a host of in-laws, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Nephews, Nieces, and a great many friends. She graduated Mifflin High School in 1994 and went on to earn her Bachelor of Arts in Business Information from DeVry University in 2000. She obtained her Master of Business Administration from Keller Graduate School of Management in 2009 and received her PMI in Project Management in 2017 Shay served her country as an Automated Logistics Specialist for the United States Army at Fort Riley in Kansas from 1994 to October 1996, when she was honorably discharged. She enjoyed a distinguished career in Public Service in Franklin County since 2007. She served on the Veteran’s Memorial Board of Trustees from 2010 to 2014 and was a member of the Franklin County Democratic Party’s Executive Committee. Most recently she was the Deputy Chief of Staff for the Franklin County Auditor. Shay was a deeply religious and spiritual person. Her faith in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior was unshakable and resolute. She made sure to instill this faith in her sons. She was a very loving and caring mother, as well as a devoted wife. She enjoyed spending time with her family, which included taking family vacations, trips to COSI and the zoo. Time was spent on any and all fun activities and just plain eating out. Shay even earned her motorcycle endorsement by attending and completing lessons at the Harley Davidson motorcycle school. Her friends knew her as a no-nonsense person, but one that still had lots of fun. One of her best and probably longest friend, January wrote: “Shay and I share so many wild, crazy, fun, heartwarming, and life changing moments together. We could literally go years without speaking, but when we linked... it was as if no time was missed at all. We had a special bond, an unbreakable sisterhood”. Most know Shay by her wardrobe. She was stunning; always dressed to the nines with more shoes than Imelda Marcos. She loved to shop, and I mean loved to shop for everything. She shopped for clothes, shoes, jewelry, sunglasses, stuff for the house, stuff for her mom, clothes for her boys and me. You name it and she would shop for it. She didn’t just shop in the stores, but oh she loved on-line shopping. UPS, FedX, Amazon, and the like thought that our address was a must stop location. Her co-workers loved the fact that she was analytical, smart, diplomatic, always positive, up-beat, a glass half full kind of person, always sharing insightful parables and statements. She was a warrior and a strong sister. She wrote this beautiful and poignant poem: Hey Sister Girl: Hey, you…the one that’s all caught up on looks You say… not you… cause you’re into books Are they the ones that stimulate the mind Teach you how to uncover some of life’s finds Or are they the ones that illustrate lust and how someone got caught up in their own distrust By the way your hair is standing tall How long did you spend at the mall What? You’re out of cash Didn’t you know you’re always supposed to keep a stash Oh, that’s right, you know it all Cause you’re older now and you started when you were small Well, let me ask when was the last time you sat and talked To someone that uses a cane to walk My Sista girl, don’t get caught up or bought up in things or Someone else’s empty dream Remember what the good book says: “Get wisdom and with all that get understanding” For sure my sista this will give you a solid landing By Shay Ford-Anthony Her oldest son, Che wrote this and texted it to his grandfather moments after we were told that Shay did not survive the accident. “Life is going to be hard, but everything is going to be okay. My mom would not want us to cry right now because it’s her birthday or in other words it is her first day in heaven.” – Che