‘She set a high standard for public service.’ Talbot County judge Sherrell Terry dies

Judge Sherrell Terry, who presided over the probate and magistrate courts in Talbot County, has died.

Judge Gil McBride, chief of the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit, informed the Ledger-Enquirer of the news in an email Thursday morning.

McBride didn’t disclose details of Terry’s death. WTVM cited anonymous sources when it reported that the 45-year-old Terry was found dead Wednesday afternoon by her father, former Judge John Terry, at the Shiloh home they shared.

Talbot County coroner Clinton Cosby told the Ledger-Enquirer he pronounced Terry dead at the scene around 12:15 p.m. Wednesday after she was found unresponsive and lying on her bedroom floor. Although the cause of death hasn’t been determined, Cosby said no foul play was evident.

Terry was being treated for a health issue, Cosby said, but he declined to be specific.

Shatara Powell, the Talbot court’s chief clerk, told the L-E she is “in a fog and just disbelief” about Terry’s death. Terry was out of the office Tuesday for a personal reason, Powell said, but she was in contact with her throughout the day.

Powell became concerned when Terry wasn’t at the court Wednesday morning and couldn’t be reached.

“We had been trying to get in touch with her,” she said, “so we sent someone to check on her.”

Powell described Terry as a “loving and kind person, always willing to help.”

Before she became a judge, Terry worked for her family’s business, the Terry Family Funeral Home, which has locations in Talbotton and Hamilton.

“We are really stunned as a circuit and still absorbing the news of Judge Terry’s death,” McBride said. “Judge Terry was a valued colleague and friend. Our circuit is saddened by her loss.”

McBride called Terry enthusiastic and an eager learner.

“She approached being a judge as a vocation really, not just a job,” he said. “When we spoke on the phone or met face-to-face, she was always upbeat. She brightened a room.“

Whether the issue was a student’s attendance in school, child abuse or assault, McBride said, Terry was engaged.

Terry became Talbot’s first female probate judge when she was elected in 2020, according to WTVM.

“Although we did not get to enjoy her as a judge for very long, Judge Terry was a long-term planner and conscientious about calling other judges to talk through various situations that arose in her work. She set a high standard for public service that will be among her most lasting legacies.”

McBride said he is working with Talbot County officials to continue the work in her absence. He expects judges in Harris and Muscogee counties to assist with cases.

Funeral arrangements weren’t available before publication.