For whatever attention Adam Chefter may receive, those around the Chefter family know that Sharri Maio Chefter is the real star.
She raises her two sons, Devon and Dylan. she supports her husband, adam. she takes care of her four dogs, maggie, ella, bailey and bennie. she oversees the newest and most recent construction of her endless home repairs. she does it as a type 1 diabetic, surpassing what she would sink many. sharri does it all.
sharri is a wife, mother, caregiver, hairdresser, homemaker, designer, supervisor, decorator, landscaper, gardener and baker, and the woman who makes her family run.
“without her,” said sharri’s husband, adam, “nothing gets done. sharri is the superstar of this family.”
sharri and adam met in 2006 on what he calls “a blind date”. that first date came at the behest of mutual estranged friends, who were inarguably proven 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 in love with her,” he said. “I saw her and completely fell in love with her. her mother used to comment that when we went out, she saw how much she loved sharri.”
sharri and adam went from being together to being engaged and getting married in almost a full year. At the time they had a young son, Devon, who turns 19 in June, and then they had their daughter Dylan, who at 10 could have a brighter future in broadcasting than her father.
sharri stops at nothing to make sure they’re both happy, and she does it with strength and dignity.
“She would do anything for them,” Adam said. “She would give them anything, she would get them anything, she would do anything for them to make them happy. the old expression is that you are only as happy as your least happy child. that’s true for her and for me.
“she would prefer them to be happy and well taken care of than her. she is very hard in the sense of what has happened. she’s a 9/11 widow, and the quiet strength of her shines through.”
adam was working at the nfl network when he met sharri, and she helped him get his espn strategy off the ground. She’s always had a way of seeing things in a way that Adam isn’t always capable of, which carries over to her home life as well.
“She helped me get to the professional position I’m in today,” he said. “Personally speaking, she doesn’t accept mediocrity. she does not accept the operation of the mill. I couldn’t be the father I am if it wasn’t for her, and I couldn’t be in the position I am if it wasn’t for her.”
His circumstances at home are unique due to the amount of time, energy, and commitment it takes Adam to cover the NFL, which he calls “a 5am-9pm job, and then some.”
This puts pressure on her family and forces Sharri to bear the brunt of the workload at home, which goes far beyond traditional roles. Sharri is the backbone of everything the family does, and his interests and strengths help Adam stay away from the things that make him anxious.
“She is the foreman of the house,” he said. “she makes sure everything runs smoothly. two children, four dogs, a house, nothing works without her. There is no way. she makes it all happen.
“My job is easy compared to hers. we are in the midst of our third renewal. she loves it. I can’t stand it, it makes me uneasy, she’s much more the guy in that role than I am. she is stronger than me, tougher than me, smarter than me and much prettier than me. Not to mention she’s helpful too, she fixes things and does all the things I don’t.”
sharri is an extraordinary wife, mother and friend who lives her life with grace and a strong sense of purpose. she is the heart of the schefter family.
“It has challenged me and made me a better husband, a better father, and a better reporter,” Adam said. “And a better person because of the high level of expectations of him. Without her, she wouldn’t be the person I am today, and that’s because she expects a lot in every way.”
