IN REMEMBRANCE
IN REMEMBRANCE : SHERI KALBFLEISCH , MD JUNE 31 , 1947-OCT . 10 , 2020
Kimberly Bambach , MD is Dr . Sheri Kalbfleisch ' s niece and gave this beautiful eulogy at Sheri ’ s funeral mass . I asked Kimberly if she might share the following tribute for our GLMS community .
Sheri and I first met in medical school . We discovered that we both initially trained in medical technology prior to entering medical school . We had many shared interests and contributed our energies on GLMS activities and other community endeavors . My husband Greg and I were also traveling buddies with Sheri and Paul on many UofL Alumni travel groups .
-Linda H . Gleis , MD
I too happened to be so lucky to be friends with Sheri and had the pleasure of working with her in internal medicine as well as dermatology . Sheri was a wonderful person and physician who will be missed by both the medical and patient community .
-Judy H . Holtman , MD
I was so lucky to be Dr . Sheri ’ s niece . In remembering her life , I ’ d like to take a moment to celebrate what she means to all of us . We are all reeling from the shock of losing a true angel .
Sheri lived a life full of love — love for her family , her friends and her patients . The greatest love of her life was her love for Paul , her soulmate and husband of 47 years . We have to thank her sister Jan for bringing them together and giving Paul her phone number at a Valentine ’ s dance . I think my mom Dee helped too , sneaking him into their house because she wanted Paul to become family . Sheri and Paul are a couple who make you pause and appreciate how just perfect they are for each other , how they complement each other . To witness their love was to share in it . After her diagnosis , Sheri wrote a handwritten note on what mattered most to her . She wrote that when it comes to Paul , “ There is no love as wonderful as this .” There was some competition though — on that same note she wrote “ I love my dog Bentley so much !!” ( with two exclamation points ). She also loved her other fur baby , Shadow , who passed away .
Sheri enjoyed a very special bond with her sisters , my aunt Jan and my mom Dee . Knowing that she would be reunited with my mom Dee in heaven brought her a great deal of comfort , because Sheri missed her so very much . I like to imagine them celebrating together . Sheri had several nieces and nephews , and she absolutely lit up our lives . To me she felt like a mother , sister and friend all in one . Sheri had many cherished friends , and she truly enjoyed laughing and traveling the world with them .
Most of you knew Sheri as a top-notch physician . From an academic standpoint , she was truly brilliant . I couldn ’ t possibly list all of her accolades , but I would like to highlight a few :
• She received numerous Mercy High School awards
• Valedictorian of her class at UofL , in the top of her class in medical school
• Catholic Education Foundation Salute recipient
• American Medical Association MD of the year
• A part time clinical instructor of dermatology at University of Louisville
Dr . Kalbfleish was a GLMS member for 37 years .
28 LOUISVILLE MEDICINE