Cheryl Anne Marshall, beloved wife, friend, and grandmother, died on Monday, August 11, 2014 at the age of 80. She left behind her beloved husband, Dan, a host of friends – including many whom she met online, and numerous grandchildren-of-the-heart. Cheryl especially cherished being Grace Schlembach’s lifelong Lala. Although Cheryl never had children of her own, she died embraced by a large, loving family of friends. It was Cheryl’s great joy to discover, late in life, her brother David and his family.
Cheryl was born on February 15, 1934 in East Cleveland, Ohio. She grew up in a happy and loving home with her mother, her grandparents, and her cousin, Bud. Cheryl graduated from Mather College (now Case Western Reserve) and later earned her Master’s Degree in Education from Kent State University. While teaching in the Cleveland Heights Public Schools, she met and fell in love with Nelson Lewis. They were married on June 20, 1959. This happy marriage came to a tragic end when Nelson died suddenly, leaving Cheryl a widow at the age of 38.
After visiting a friend in Houston, Cheryl fell in love with the city and moved here in 1975. She met Dan Marshall at a singles’ mixer at Emerson Unitarian Church in Houston. They shared many of the same interests – bridge, classical music, Tom Lehrer, art movies, Faberge eggs, and dancing. Cheryl and Dan became close friends and then fell in love. On December 20, 1975, Dr. Frank Schulman married them at Emerson Unitarian Church.
Cheryl’s calling in life was to be an educator. “On Sunday nights,” she once told a friend, “I would get so excited because I got to go to work the next day.” In her 44-year career, she taught students in the Cleveland Heights and Warrensville Heights Public Schools, at Woodland Hall - a private school in Houston, and in the Houston and Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School Districts. In the 1970s, at Briarwood School, she entered the new field of teaching students with learning disabilities. Helping these students would be a passion for the rest of her life. Cheryl ultimately became a Special Education Master Teacher, even traveling to Russia to help educators there develop special education programs. For many years after her retirement from teaching, Cheryl continued to advocate for children with special needs.
A remarkable woman, Cheryl had deep and varied interests. She became a licensed pilot in 1972, held an SCCA auto-racing license, and sang in school and church choirs as well as a local operetta. She loved to travel, to read, to work puzzles, to cook, and to spend time with friends. In her later years, she became an avid fan of the comedian Eddie Izzard, traveling to see his shows, and becoming part of an online community of other “Eddie Fans.” Cheryl was a giving person who had a gift for bringing diverse people together into a shared community. She was loved by friends and family and respected by all who knew her, personally and professionally.
Cheryl is survived by her husband, Dan Marshall, her brother and sister-in-law David Spetrino and Sandi Adams, nephews Jon and David Spetrino, Jr., nephew Ron Adams and wife Mary, as well as grandnieces and -nephews. She leaves behind numerous friends whom she considered (and who considered her) family-by-love, including many people who called her “Grandma,” “Gran,” and “Lala.” The family wishes to thank Harbor Hospice staff for their care of Cheryl in her final weeks, especially Yolanda Barnes, whose daily visits comforted Cheryl.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to some of Cheryl’s favorite causes: the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, PO Box 808, Newark, NJ 07101 www.uusc.org/donate; Planned Parenthood, 4600 Gulf Freeway, Suite 300, Houston, Texas 77023 www.plannedparenthood.org; or the Southern Poverty Law Center, 400 Washington Avenue, Montgomery, Alabama 36104 www.splcenter.org.
A Celebration of Life Service will be Saturday, September 13, 2014 at 2:00 PM in The Hunters Creek Chapel at Earthman Funeral Directors, 8303 Katy Freeway, Houston, Texas 77024.
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