Beech Tree News Network

Sherry Embry Johnson has been deeply shaped by her community. She was born and raised in Butler County to parents, Wendell C. and Faye Embry. She had many wonderful role models in her early formative years. People like Aunt Illma Haven taught her how to be positive. Others like Chesley Daugherty and Forrest Taylor were terrific examples of leaders in Sherry’s formative years. Her sense of home and community was cultivated by good friends and neighbors who took care of each other. Being from a big family Sherry always had cousins around, and of course, they’re your first best friends. Family and community has meant everything to Sherry. Sherry has always been a “numbers person.” She owes her love of learning to teachers like Danny Deweese and Weymouth Martin. After graduating from Butler County High School in 1979 she attended Western Kentucky University, graduating with a degree in Accounting in 1983. She married in 1984 and quickly followed her military career husband to Berlin, West Germany where she had her first daughter, Brandy in 1986. After they returned to the states they lived at Ft. Knox for a few years and welcomed second daughter Shawna into the world before Sherry and the girls moved back to Dexterville in Butler County. As a new, single mother Sherry quickly secured a job as a deputy clerk in the Butler County Clerk’s Office. Sherry served for 23 years as a deputy clerk under Dallas Embry, Diane Ingram, and Shirley Givens. In 2015 Sherry was elected by the people of Butler County to become the County Clerk. In February 2008 Sherry married Stan and blended their families of 4 boys and 2 girls. Her family is clearly an important part of her life. To this day she has 9 beautiful grandchildren that she treasures. Family dinners at Sherry’s house are big and huge and loud and family celebrations throughout the year are great and they go “the whole nine yards” for their family. She loves her blended family and the Sunday afternoons when the kids look at the family photo albums and reminisce. And you wouldn’t know that they were not all natural brothers and sisters with the way that they argue and carry on sometimes! Sherry has been involved in public service her entire working career. It comes natural to Sherry because she’s such a people person. Anything she can do to help others has always been something near and dear to her. Sherry has a lot of responsibilities as the County Clerk including all the record keeping for Butler County. Some of her favorite work is elections; ensuring fair and free elections and tallying election results. She does her best work when working “up front” with the public. Sherry says, “Anybody who has never worked with the public needs to for a few days.” Another favorite part of her work is when classes come to the courthouse and Sherry gets to show them around and educate the students about local and state government. Sherry is “a servant to the people.” She takes her constitutional oath very seriously and discharges the duties of the office of the County Clerk to the best of her abilities. She faithfully executes the duties of the office without favor, affection or partiality. For her service to Butler County we are truly grateful.