Checotah bids farewell to longtime librarian Beth Sherrill as she prepares to retire March 1. On Monday, the community and many children, who have been blessed by Sherrill’s 25 years of service, came out to celebrate with her at a well-deserved retirement party Fittingly the backdrop stated “Oh! The places you’ll go!” which kind of takes on a whole new meaning when retiring.
“For the last 25 years, I have lived at the Jim Lucas Checotah Public Library,” Sherrill said. “Now I can plan and enjoy all the places I can go because I’m retired.”
Branch Manager Kenny Matthews stated Beth’s enthusiasm and creativity will be greatly missed by many because for a quarter of a century she has helped multiple generations develop a love for reading. In fact, Sherrill is the face of the library to so many.
“I grew up kind of all over but my family settled in Ft. Smith, AR when I was a teen and I graduated high school there, Sherrill said. “So I still think of Ft. Smith as my hometown. Then I came to Oklahoma to attend OBU and while I was there, I met and married my husband, Bill. Being married to a minister meant moving from time to time and we moved to Checotah in 1998 to serve at First Baptist Church. I had been working at the public library in our previous community and so I began working at the Checotah Public Library in March of 1999.
“When we moved to Muskogee in 2005, I couldn’t imagine working at any other place that I would enjoy more, so I just kept coming to Checotah. At the time I had no idea that I would be here for 25 years, but it has been a great adventure.
“Since my husband’s death in 2019, my library coworkers and the Checotah community have been such a blessing to me. I tend to think of them as my extended family. I have appreciated being a part of this community and have enjoyed working with local businesses because I know the support of our local businesses is vital to the library.
“I have especially enjoyed partnering with the schools. My kids, both Checotah graduates, were in high school when we moved here, and the teachers and administrators were so welcoming and encouraging. Those early interactions as a parent easily transitioned into an enjoyable and mutually beneficial partnership between the public library and the area schools.
“Of course, my favorite thing has been spending time with the children. I have probably had more fun than they have! I hope I have helped ignite their curiosity so their love for books and reading will grow and that they will become lifelong learners. I also want to thank their families for bringing them to the library and for being so supportive all these years.
“I believe I will miss the kids the most, but I have seven grandchildren of my own and I will enjoy spending more time with them. I also want to be able to do more at my church. So now it is time to say goodbye to this wonderful adventure and hello to new adventures!
“My message to the people of Checotah is it has been my delight to serve this community for the last 25 years, through the programs and activities at your public library. I have watched a generation of awesome children grow into amazing adults and I believe Checotah has a very bright future. To quote one of my favorite authors, Sandra Boynton, I say to you, ‘Woo Hoo! You’re doing great!’ So keep up the great work and keep reading!”
Julie LaRue is one member of the community who utilizes the local library often because she homeschools her children.
“Mrs. Beth has been a favorite part of our weekly routines, from story times to science experiments to summer reading programs. Her spunky personality and love for all her kids, big and small, will be missed dearly and her shoes will be hard to fill. However, I want to thank her for inspiring me to be creative and fun for all the kids in my life too. She has given us the best memories over the years and we will cherish them always.”
