‘My Second Chance’: Sheri is everything Jeff could have asked for in a wife

Love gave Jeff Matuszko a second chance.

When he first saw his now-wife, Sheri, it was in the parking lot of a local country bar.

“When I saw her, it was like time froze and she was moving in slow motion,” Jeff recalls. “I asked the friend I was with if he saw her, and he had. Then I told him I might marry that girl.”

Before the night was over, Sheri and Jeff were two stepping their way around the dance floor.

“I was terrible, and she was amazing,” Jeff said.

Sheri left that night before Jeff could get her number, and a mountain of regret filled him. However, as luck would have it, the two ran into each other a few days later in an entirely different town.

“I told her I wasn’t letting her leave without getting her phone number this time,” said Jeff.

The rest is history. Sheri turns 41 this February 13th.

“It’s probably the easiest birthday I’ve ever had to remember.” Jeff said, noting that it falls the day before Valentine’s Day. “It makes for a fun week of celebrating the love of my life.”

Sheri was raised in Enid, Oklahoma, and graduated from Oklahoma State University. Since 2011, she has lived, worked, attended church, and raised three kids in Davidson, North Carolina.

Sheri’s wonderful children are 12-year-old Austin, 8-year-old Molli, and 7-year-old Jax. She absolutely loves being a mom and is dedicated to making her children’s lives as amazing as possible.

“From the moment she became a mother she has spent every minute learning to be the best mom possible,” Jeff said. “She is always willing to laugh and have fun with them.”

When Molli and Jax were asked what they admired about their mom, they gave responses that showed that Sheri’s love does not go unnoticed.

“She takes care of us and the doggies so good,” said Molli. “She loves us just right.”

“She’s kind and a good cook, and she makes me feel special,” said Jax.

Outside of her role as a mother, Sheri works hard as a senior analyst on the global navigation team for Lowe’s Corporate. Thankfully, she can do this from a home office, allowing her to be home every day when the kids arrive back at the house after school.

“Sheri is an incredibly hard worker in the corporate world,” said Jeff. “But she loves being home every day to welcome her kids back from school.”

Sheri is also active in her church and enjoys kayaking, hiking, and walking the dogs (Sura and Tuszka), among other activities. She has a big heart for others, and once a month leaves a surprise gift card of $50 in a neighbor’s door.

“Her strengths are everything I want to get better at,” Jeff said. “She challenged me to be a better person, helped me develop a relationship with God, and sees the good in me despite my flaws. I want to be that same person for her.”

As the Matuszko family celebrates Sheri for her birthday and the next day Jeff makes her his Valentine, Jeff wants to remember how fortunate he is that Sheri showed up in his life – twice.

“I will forever be a work in progress with the hopes that one day I will truly deserve to be married to that amazing girl who made time stand still all those years ago in the Incahoots parking lot,” said Jeff. “Sheri is beautiful on the inside and out, and she still takes my breath away.”