Sherry Theresa Ludwig

Sherry Theresa Ludwig (Charbonneau), 75, of Fort Dodge, Iowa, passed away peacefully in her sleep Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, at Marian Home Village in Fort Dodge.

Born Aug. 13, 1951, in Langdon, North Dakota, she spent her life making a home that smelled like love - often like caramel rolls coming out of the oven.

Sherry grew up a farm girl in ND, the daughter of Donald & Evelyn (Hell) Charbonneau. Some of her happiest memories and stories came from those years. She was a wild one - something those who knew her well could attest, with a story of their own. We never questioned whether she loved us. She loved her children fiercely, and her grandchildren just as much. Her family was the center of her life.

As a young woman, she attended beauty school before devoting herself to raising a family. She married Paul Ludwig, and together they had three children: Theresa, Don, and Erika. Though she and Paul later divorced, their family remained an enduring part of her life.

Sherry was a wonderful mom, grandma, homemaker, and baker. Friends and family knew they were welcome the minute they walked in the door. The kitchen was her heart. Always something baking, a pot on the stove, and room at her table. Her baking was famous. People talk about that smell drifting through her home - impossible to resist. Caramel rolls were her signature, but the handwritten cards she left behind tell the rest of the story too: donuts, peanut butter cookies, and white sugar cookies.

She didn't just feed people. She taught them. Every grandchild grew up in that kitchen, standing on a chair, stirring, tasting, and learning that a meal is more than food. Because of her, they are all phenomenal cooks with high standards - nothing is ever quite as good as Grandma's, and they would be the first to say so. So many things made by her hands - and so many moments filled with her humor.

Sherry raised her children with that same care and expectation. She was proud of them, and prouder of the lives they built. She loved being Grandma. She cheered from the sidelines, saved a plate for latecomers, and made every holiday, Sunday, and day feel special. She was small in stature and large in presence - the kind of woman whose house you could find with your eyes closed, by following the smell of something baking.

She was creative to her core - the person you went to when a school project needed to become something amazing, cupcakes needed decorating, a craft needed the right touch, or an event needed to be planned and made beautiful - she had a gift for taking an idea and turning it into something special. She loved design, lilies, bling, leather, and a little sparkle. She loved to laugh, and she could talk a little trash with the best of them.

Much of her adult life was marked by illness. She first faced cancer and later lived with other chronic health problems. She fought to remain in this world. That determination carried her through more than most people knew.

Of all the people she loved, there was a particularly special place in her heart for her mother, Evelyn. She thought of her often and spoke many times about how much she missed her and how she couldn't wait to see her again. After all those years of missing her mom, she finally has.

Sherry is survived by her children Theresa (Steve) Lursen and Don Ludwig (Stacey) of Fort Dodge, and Erika Andersen of Minnesota; grandchildren Isaac, Ethan, Aaron, Anna Lursen, Taishonna Ludwig, Alexis Miller, Temprence and Mila Dodge; siblings Paul (Pat), Terry (Barb), Danny, Todd (Jeanne) Charbonneau and Donna (Jim) Vondal; and many other relatives and friends who will miss her kitchen, her laugh, her sparkle, and her caramel rolls.

She was preceded in death by her former husband and father of her children, Paul J. Ludwig; her parents, Donald and Evelyn Charbonneau; and her granddaughter, Maddox Ludwig-Agnitsch.

Those who loved her will remember the open door, the full table, and the simple truth she lived every day: home is where someone is baking for you. And on the hard days, the instinct will be to call Mom.

A prayer service will be at 4:00 pm Thursday, September 24, 2026 in the chapel of Laufersweiler Funeral Home. Burial services will be held on Saturday, September 26, 2026, at 11:00 AM at Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Langdon North Dakota.

A Celebration of Life will be 5:00 to 7:00 pm Thursday, September 24, 2026 at Rides Bar & Grill at 723 South 31st Street, Fort Dodge, IA.