Cherie L. Hellier

Cherie L. Hellier, Commander (CDR), U.S. Navy (Ret), age 68, of Centennial, CO, passed away on Friday evening, September 20, 2019, at her home. Born as Cherie L. Hilliar on September 13, 1951, in Lancaster Township, PA to Nancy J. Fisher and Paul L. Hilliar. Growing up in Lancaster, she was a graduate of St. Joseph Academy, class of 1968. After high school, she was accepted into the U.S. Navy’s ROTC program to study and train as a nurse. She was certified as a Professional Nurse on December 12, 1972 from the St. Joseph’s Hospital nursing program.

She received her Bachelors of Science in Nursing at the University of South Florida in Tampa Bay in 1983 and her Masters degree in Nursing Education at the University of West Florida in Pensacola in 1987.

She had a long and decorated active duty career in the U.S. Navy spanning 21 years as a Navy Nurse and was stationed at different places around the world including the U.S. Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland; U.S. Naval Hospital Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; U.S. Naval Hospital Pensacola, FL; Tripler Army Medical Center and Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickman in Pearl Harbor, HI; and the U.S. Naval Hospital in Oakland, CA.

Commander Hellier retired from the U.S. Navy in May, 1993 to Pittsburg, CA where she lived with her husband Charles L. Hellier before they moved in 1998 to West Richland, WA. In July 2017, Commander Hellier moved to Aurora, CO to be close to her family and finally settled in Centennial, CO in November 2018.

In her civilian career after the Navy, she was an OB-GYN nurse in a fertility clinic and an expert witness for medical litigation trials in California.

She leaves behind her stepson Charles R. Hellier (spouse Jennifer L.), and grandchildren Jack T. Hellier and Sam M. Hellier of Centennial, CO, and her stepdaughter, Kristina R. Richard (spouse Tim), Atlanta MI, one sister, Joan Smith of Columbia, PA, and one brother Steve Hilliar of Columbia, PA. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Charles L. Hellier, and her brother Paul Hilliar.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the following charity for homeless cats and dogs - the Dumb Friends League in Cherie L. Hellier's name: https://www.ddfl.org/memorial-honor-giving/