Episode 5: Sherry Graham Potter

On August 10th, 2005, Sherry Graham-Potter became a member of a club no one ever wants to join. She became a widow after only 30 days of marriage when her husband at the time, Deputy Timothy Graham, was killed in the line of duty. Her children were 7 and 10 at the time, and she had to break the horrific news to them.

"Losing your spouse at such a young age and with young children involved is traumatic for everybody," explains Sherry, "but when it's a police officer, there's just a littler bit of a difference in that. There's so much media involvement. And that's really difficult."

After the funeral, when things got quiet, that's when Sherry really felt the deafening silence of her loss.

She found an old baseball cap in her closet one day, and with that hat she found a new passion for running. In her running, she began to heal and reconnect with herself, finding her passion in an emotional social media post.

But fate had other plans for Sherry, and after Tim's death she reconnected with an old high school friend who was a police helicopter pilot named Chris. After leaving a message for Chris one day at the hangar, they connected and Sherry found herself healing and thriving with her new love that was nurtured by Chris.

"We all have that strength within us, and a lot of times you don't ever have to tap into it....until you do." Sherry is truly an inspiration of finding strength within yourself during the darkest times of life.

Trudy Jacobson is proud to present Great American Women, a web series dedicated to showcasing the stories of inspiring and ambitious female philanthropists and entrepreneurs. These women are leaders in their field, and their stories will motivate and encourage other women to pursue their own dreams.

Like Trudy Jacobson, these women are at the top of their game, and their tales will inspire and motivate other women to achieve their own aspirations.