Indiana 77yo’s obituary sparks fandom, called an icon

An obituary for a 77-year-old woman has caught the attention of social media, with one declaring; “Who is this icon?”

An obituary for a 77-year-old woman has caught the attention of social media, with one declaring, “Who is this icon?”

Jennifer ‘Michael’ Bailey’s mother Sheryl Lynne Pol passed away in her home on February 21, 2025, after a battle with Myasthenia Gravis, which is a chronic neuromuscular disease.

However, the obituary she wrote for her mother really captured the hearts of strangers, with some even declaring her mother an “icon”.

“Born on January 31, 1948, in Muncie, Indiana to John and Esther Stebbins, she quickly fell into place as the middle child answering to ‘Pe-Sheryl’ due to her sister Peggy having “top billing” for 10 years already,” it read.

“Having battled Polio as a child, the world made her a fighter from the start. Polio set Sheryl off on her journey of life with a crooked ankle and a crooked sense of humour.”

The obituary went on to detail that Sheryl loved embroidery — and even did so with her enemies “if they asked nicely enough”.

Sheryl Lynne Pol passed away last month. Picture: brownfuneralhomeniles.com/

“No visit was complete at Nana’s house without a stab from a rouge needle or pin,” the obituary read, adding how the elderly woman loved to win games.

“Her ultimate joy came from playing Dominoes, Qwirkle, Skip-Bo, Uno and Aggravation with family and friends regardless of the score.

“Except with Ella, she really wanted to knock that girl down a few pegs. Unfortunately for Nana, Ella not only lucked out in the grandmother department, but also with games.”

Ms Bailey explained how her mother constantly supported her grandchildren and had a love of meatloaf, steak, ribs and chilli — which her ostomy bag named Oliver couldn’t keep up with.

It then revealed the details of her funeral service.

“Please come with your stories and we’ll be prepared to honour Nana by raising our hands to indicate follow-up questions. In lieu of flowers, please flirt with a stranger much younger than yourself,” it said.

“Arrangements have been entrusted to Brown Funeral Home & Cremation Services to help Nana achieve her lifelong dream of having a ‘smokin’ hot body’.”

The obituary caught the attention of TikTok user @sabercierra, who read the final part of the tribute.

“An icon has left us,” she said.

Many praised the woman. Picture: TikTok/@mohawkmania

Many social media users were inclined to agree.

“Clearly, Sheryl Lynne was born in the wrong generation,” one social media user said.

Meanwhile, her granddaughter said: “Oh my gosh this is about my Grandma. I’m so happy people are finding joy in it.”

“This is why we need to keep newspapers. I used to read random obituaries on them as a kid,” one said.

Another added: “A baddie was lost, may we forever honour her. Thankfully my husband is a year younger than me.”

“Diva Down,” another said.

One social media user commented: “WHO is this ICON?”

“Let me start writing out what I want on my obituary because no way I’m going to end up with something generic when this is an option,” one said.

Another social media user said: “What an icon. I’m gonna go flirt with a stranger just for her. I’ll make sure they’re inappropriately too old for me cause I’m not cougar age yet and can’t go younger LMFAO.”

“I am the funeral director that helped this family, I’m so glad this obituary got the recognition it deserves! The family did an amazing job,” one said.