Cherie was the youngest of 5 siblings (Albert Forthe, Victor Louis, Amalya Marie, and Raymond Charles). All have preceded her in death and welcomed her to Heaven on July 22, 2018. She passed away at Park Meadows Retirement Community in Overland Park.
How do you measure a success in life? If it is in years, Cherie had 83 of those. If it is measured by a loving spirit, Cherie displayed that incessantly to her family, friends, church family, acquaintances, and virtually anyone that she came in contact with. If it is measured in impact in people’s lives, there were thousands that can testify to what a positive impact Cherie made. If it is measured in people who heard the Gospel message from Cherie, again there are thousands to witness to that.
Cherie would describe herself in very humble words. That she did not do anything special, that she was just trying to make sure they everyone else’s needs were met before hers, that she was just trying to live a life that reflects what God would want her to do. She felt God’s presence every day and tried to reflect that presence to anyone who needed to feel it.
When Cherie was 8 years old, she was diagnosed with a rare bone disorder called Osteomyelitis. In 1942, it was considered terminal in a child. But due to her brother Victor’s naval service (he was stationed at Pearl Harbor in December 1941), the doctors in Kansas City were able to obtain an experimental drug called Penicillin that ultimately saved her life. Since that time, she knew that God placed her on the Earth for a greater reason and she spent the rest of her life fulfilling that greater purpose. In 1953, she was set up on a blind date by a friend. The friend was currently seeing Harold E. Rouse, Jr. (a college man) but Hal had a friend coming into town that needed a date. Cherie was that date. That day, Hal and Cherie realized that they should be the ones together (after some persistent convincing by Hal) and that day blossomed into a romance and then a marriage that would last 62 years and 10 months. Hal was the Godly man that Cherie had been praying for since long before they met.
Cherie and Hal have two children, Julianne McReynolds (Rodger) and Charles Rouse (Rebecca), 6 Grandsons (Eric Rouse, Cole Rouse, Robert McReynolds, Daniel McReynolds, Chuck Parsell and Eric Parsell), and 1 Great-Granddaughter (Carlynn Michele Rouse) who all survive Cherie and grieve their temporary separation from her while they are left on this Earth. They are joined by numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and extended family. To Cherie, once you were in the family, you were “family” no matter the biological relationships.
When her children were growing up, it was not unusual to have to feed multiple teenagers (with or without advanced notice). Mrs. Rouse (as she was called then) was an alternate mother to anyone who needed a place to eat a holiday meal or even a simple dinner. At one time or another, Cherie and Hal were nanny and caregiver to each of their grandchildren that were younger than school aged. Cherie earned the name “Mimi” from her youngest grandchild and countless friends of her children and grandchildren only knew her by that designation. She truly was the family matriarch.
Cherie was involved in multiple organizations including: Camp Fire Girls as youth and leader, PHQ Job’s Daughters Bethel 24, Ritual Advisor Job's Daughters Bethel 62, Majorette at Southwest High School, Ivanhoe Chapter Eastern Star, Alpha Chi Omega Omicron Chapter (Baker University), Alpha Chi Omega Omicron House Corporation Board, Johnson County Christmas Bureau, multiple Christ Church ministries (Wedding Coordinator, Altar Guild, Sunday school, Alpha and Alpha Sprouts, MOPs, and VBS), and Myasthenia Gravis Association.
Cherie’s occupations were as a teacher (certified aerobic dance instructor for 35 years), child development coordinator (MOPS, Sunday school teacher, home room mother, PTA, mother and grandmother), Altar Guild (her title was “Linen Queen” - her mother was the first Directress and Cherie was a member of Christ Church Altar Guild for 51 years), chef de cuisine (ask her family and their friends about her cooking), minister (she taught who and what God is to her family and witnessed to anyone who walked into her hospital, rehab facility or assisted living apartment), and first and foremost her vocation was as a Child of God.
To celebrate Cherie’s life, on Saturday, August 11th there will be a celebration of life at Christ Church Anglican (5500 West 91st Street, Overland Park, Kansas 66207) at 10:00am.
Cherie requested no flowers, but contributions should be made to Christ Church Anglican Altar Guild or Omicron Alumnae Association of Alpha Chi Omega, Post Office Box 43, Baldwin City, Kansas 66006 in her honor.
