Sherry Fowler

Shoals Woman of the Year, 2005

 By Monica Collier, Times Daily

Shoals native Sherry Fowler sees the silver-lining in every cloud.

No matter the circumstances, she believes life is a precious gift from God and faith is the guiding force in her life.

“You can’t make it without God,” Fowler says.

While it’s easy to see the blessings in good times, Fowler has a wonderful gift for seeing blessings in times of trouble as well.

In 1986, at the age of 19, Fowler’s daughter, Mary Darlene, was struck by an intoxicated driver and sustained a severe head injury.

The accident left Darlene incapacitated and her parents (C.L. and Sherry Fowler) were advised to place her in a nursing home for around-the-clock care for the rest of her life.

Instead, Darlene’s mother chose to seek the necessary training and devote her life to caring for her daughter. (Darlene, seen in the photo below, died in 2005 at the age of 37 from pneumonia.)

Being primary caregiver for her daughter for 19 years is something Fowler considers to have been a blessing, and she’s embraced caregiving as her calling in life.

In addition to caring for her daughter, Fowler has also cared for her husband, aunt and mother-in-law in times of debilitating and terminal health.

“I get peace from knowing I have done my best to care for them,” she says.

When thinking of his father’s bout with a brain tumor and consequent severe dementia, Fowler’s son, Tony (Fowler) of Florence, says his mother’s “smiling nature and easy laugh remained constant through the grueling stress of his condition.”

Even though her position as primary caregiver to her loved ones has been time-consuming, she always finds time to participate in several support and help organizations. She has worked diligently with Debi Dean, of the North Alabama Head Injury Foundation, to increase awareness about head injuries and the resources available to family members.

Dean and Fowler worked together to secure funds to build the Shoals’ first fully handicapped accessible apartment complex. The facility opened in 2002 and provides housing for those living with severe head trauma.

In a letter of nomination for ShoalsWoman of the Year from a local law firm, Fowler is referred to as a “human dynamo,” “a good samaritan” and as one who “does not seek glory or praise.”

In a nomination letter from a member of the Alabama Head Injury Foundation, Fowler is called “an inspiration to all who know her” and “a supporting force in the lives of Alabama families, both locally and across the state who have sustained traumatic brain injuries (TBI) or are the family members and friends of those who have sustained TBI.”

Fowler’s standing in the community is partly based on her ability and willingness to be a mentor to those around her. Not only is Fowler known in the Shoals for her joyful and caring nature, she’s known around the southeast and has a reputation for getting things done.

People she has met and shared her story with feel comfortable calling her for precious advice about their own situations.

“People call me all the time, and I tell them about the resources I use. I don’t know everything, but what I do know I want to share,” she says.

Fowler’s daughter, Rene Grigsby, said in a recent interview that people often ask her mom, “how do you do it?”

Not only has Fowler learned about being a caregiver, she has learned about life through her caregiving experiences.

As a way to help others, Fowler plans to write a book about her life. She will begin writing this fall.

Her book will include where she has been, starting in the beginning with the life-altering phone call she received in October 1986, and bring readers to the present time; adjusting to life after being a caregiver. She’ says her experiences can help others.

Whatever path she takes from here, she knows it will involve helping others.

“There are so many people out there hurting,” she says.

Fowler knows traumatic experiences can destroy families, however, it made her own grow closer. She believes drawing closer and drawing strength from each other is very important.

“I never regretted bringing Darlene home, it was a sacrifice I would make for any of my family,” Fowler says.

“Everything happens for a reason. You have to be positive; if you’re negative, everybody goes down with you.

Shari Beavers,

Food Demonstration

By Dennis Sherer
Staff Writer, Times Daily
 

TUSCUMBIA -- Shari Beaver became a vegetarian 22 years ago as a way to be different and standout from the crowd.

As she learned more about the vegetarian lifestyle, her reasons for shunning meat changed. "Now, it's for health reasons."

Beaver enjoys discussing the health benefits of a vegetarian diet with anyone she meets, including the crowd at Spring Creek Farmers Market in Tuscumbia.

"I feel a whole lot better since I became a strict vegetarian," Beaver told the crowd as she prepared on of her favorite dishes that she calls "Everybody Likes It Tofu."

"Everybody I've ever made it for or given the recipe to likes it," she said.

Tofu is a product made by curdling the milk of soybeans. Available at health-food stores and most grocery stores, tofu is a staple in a vegetarian diet. Beaver said tofu is used in everything from desserts and spreads to meat substitutes.

As she prepared her dish, Beaver explained the different styles of tofu -- silken, firm and extra firm.

Tofu is also identified by the type package it comes in tub-style and aseptic. Tub-style tofu is more firm than aseptic. Silken has a gelatin like consistency and can be used for making pies and other desserts.

Beaver used silken tofu for a peanut butter chocolate dream pie she gave samples of during her cooking demonstration.

Firm and extra firm have a heavier texture. Beaver selected extra firm, which has meat-like texture, for her recipe.

She explained that while the recipe is easy to make its very important to follow the recipe when preparing the dish, especially the order for applying the spices. She said changing the order can change the taste of the finished product.

She said it's also important to use nutritional yeast, which is available at health-food stores. "It's not bread yeast it's not brewer's yeast. It's a different kind of yeast."

As Beaver cooked the mixture on a nonstick griddle, samples of the finished product were distributed. Many people commented the tofu tasted like grilled meat.

Beaver said tofu takes on the flavor of what it is cooked with. A common mistake for people new to vegetarianism is trying to eat tofu without adding anything to give it flavor.

"Don't eat tofu right out of the package. If you do, you will never want to eat it again," she said. "You have to marinate it in something, blend it with something or add some spices."

Beaver said experimenting with different ways to prepare tofu and other vegetables is the fun part of being a vegetarian.

"It's exciting learning how to cook differently. It's a lifestyle change. But for me personally, its one I will never regret," she said.

Numerous books and Web sites are available with recipes and information about vegetarianism.

The Shoals Vegetarian Fellowship is another good place to learn about vegetarianism, she said.

The group meets 5:30-7 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month at the Florence-Lauderdale Public Library. Admission is free, but participants are asked to bring a vegetarian dish for the potluck supper.

"The meetings are always informative," Beaver said. "We learn something new from each other every month."

For details on the Shoals Vegetarian Fellowship or vegetarianism, call Beaver at 810-2560 or e-mail her at shoalsveggie@yahoo.com.