Cheryle Fowler May

Cheryle Fowler May died on April 14 after 4 years of dementia and asthma difficulties. She was 70 years old. Cheryle was born on June 25, 1945 in Atlanta, Georgia to Golden Fowler and Geneva Vee Rakestraw. After a difficult childhood during which she faced many obstacles, Cheryle distinguished herself as a student and emerged from her challenging upbringing with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Georgia in 1967. She then went to work for IBM as a technical writer and later transitioned into quality management. She married John May on November 7, 1970. After retiring from IBM in 1992, she continued her career as a quality manager using the ISO 9000 standard in the telecommunications industry with jobs at Nortel (5 years), Alcatel (1 year) and Tekelec (8 years). She finally retired from professional work in 2006.

In retirement, Cheryle remained intellectually engaged by taking a series of Encore courses at North Carolina State University, immersing herself in the study of literature, world history and politics. Always a lover of life and people, she continued to engage in her lifelong hobbies of reading, travel, and study of foreign cultures. She also maintained her keen interest in music, both by playing the piano and attending musical performances of many kinds, locally and throughout the U.S.

While at work or in her other pursuits, wherever Cherlye went, friendships blossomed, and over her lifetime she developed a network of friends that enriched her life as well as those of her companions. She had a deep love of people, and her relationships were notable for their unique diversity and depth.

Nothing, though, took a higher priority in Cheryle’s life than family. She was devoted to her sister, Sandra Fitzgerald, and brother-in-law Robert Fitzgerald. Cheryle was an especially caring aunt to her niece and nephew, Emily and Gus May, and she had a close, loving relationship with her brothers-in-law and their wives. Nowhere was her deep commitment to family more obvious than in Cheryle’s devotion to her husband of 45 years, John May. That commitment was more than reciprocated throughout her lifetime and especially during her last four years when John retired from his own career as a software developer and technical writer to provide around-the-clock care for Cheryle in their Cary home.

Cheryle is survived by her husband, John; three brothers-in-law and two sisters-in-law; and a niece and a nephew.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in memory of Cheryle may be made to the Colonial Baptist Church Benevolence Fund.

A memorial service in her honor will take place on Monday, April 25 at Colonial Baptist Church at 6051 Tryon Road in Cary, N.C. 27518 at 2:00 P.M.