‘QUIET STRENGTH’: Sharri Maio Schefter is the ‘forewoman’ and inspiration behind her happy family

For any attention Adam Schefter might get, those around the Schefter family know that Sharri Maio Schefter is the true star of it.

She nurtures their two children, Devon and Dylan. She supports her husband, Adam. She takes care of their four dogs, Maggie, Ella, Bailey and Bennie. She oversees the newest and latest construction of their never-ending home repairs. She does this as a Type-1 diabetic, overcoming what would sink many. Sharri does it all.

Sharri is a wife, mother, caretaker, groomer, homemaker, designer, supervisor, decorator, landscaper, gardener and baker, and the woman that makes their family go.

“Without her,” said Sharri’s husband, Adam, “nothing gets done. Sharri is this family’s superstar.”

Sharri and Adam met in 2006 on what he calls “a double-blind date.” That first date came at the urging of separate mutual friends, who were proven indisputably right about their urge to bring them together.

Adam knew it was love as soon as he saw her.

“The moment I saw her, I fell for her,” he said. “I saw her and was completely smitten. Her mom used to comment that when we were dating, how much she saw that I loved Sharri.”

Sharri and Adam went from dating to engaged to married in almost one full year. She had a young son Devon at the time, who will turn 19 in June, and they later had their daughter Dylan, who at 10 years old might have a brighter future in broadcasting than her dad.

Sharri stops at nothing to make sure both of them are happy, and she does it with strength and dignity.

“She would do anything for them,” Adam said. “She would give them anything, get them anything, do anything for them to make them happy. The old expression is that you’re only as happy as your least happy child. That’s true for her and me.

“She would rather they be happy and well taken care of than her. She is very tough in the sense of what she has been through. She’s a 9/11 widow, and her quiet strength comes across.”

Adam was working at NFL Network when he first met Sharri, and she helped set his move to ESPN into motion. She has always had a way of seeing things in a way that Adam isn’t always able, which carries over to their home life, too.

“She’s helped push me to the professional position I am in today,” he said. “Personally speaking, she doesn’t accept mediocrity. She doesn’t accept run of the mill. I couldn’t be the father I am were it not for her, and I couldn’t be in the position I am were it not for her.”

Their circumstances at home are unique because of the amount of time, energy and commitment it takes for Adam to cover the NFL, which he calls “a 5 am-to-9 pm job — and then some.”

This puts a strain on their family, and forces Sharri to carry the brunt of the workload at home, which goes well beyond traditional roles. Sharri is the backbone of everything the family does, and her interests and strengths help Adam stay away from things that makes him anxious.

“She’s the forewoman of the house,” he said. “She makes sure everything runs smoothly. Two kids, four dogs, one house, none of it runs without her. There’s no way. She makes it all happen.

“My job is easy compared to hers. We’re in the middle of our third renovation. She loves it. I can’t stand it. It makes me uneasy. She is much more the guy in that role than I am. She’s stronger than me, tougher than me, savvier than me – and much better looking than me. Not to mention, she’s also handy, fixes things, and does all the things I don’t do.”

Sharri is an extraordinary wife, mother and friend who lives her life with grace and a strong sense of purpose. She is the heartbeat of the Schefter family.

“She has challenged me and made me a better husband, a better father and a better reporter,” Adam said. “And a better person because of her high standard of expectations. Without her, I would not be the person I am today, and that’s because she expects so much in every way.”