Cheryl L. Echard

Cheryl Lynn Echard, 67, of Parkersburg, went to be with the Lord on December 8, 2022, due to a heart complication following several years of heart problems. God has called her home, as her work on Earth is done.

She was born May 26, 1955, the daughter of Paul R. Sims and Eleanor Lucille Sims, of Winding Road, Parkersburg, West Virginia.

Cheryl’s early childhood memories were of laughing and working on the farm, staying all night with her grandmother, and getting her first pony at age 8. She enjoyed camping at Royal Oak Park with her mom, dad, and best friend, Monica Tennant. She attended church with her family at Redhill United Methodist Church. She graduated from PHS in 1973, and from nursing school at WVU-P in 1976. She began working at St. Joseph’s out of college.

Cheryl enjoyed dancing and wearing formal attire, playing girls’ volleyball for Calvary Memorial Church, and her greatest love, horseback riding. Cheryl’s most memorable moments were walking down the aisle to marry Steve, the birth of their two boys, and spending time with them as they grew up. She enjoyed the different personality and skill set that each son possessed, and their ability to be self-sufficient. Andrew’s military service and Aaron’s college excellence were among their achievements that she was proud of.

Cheryl’s proudest career accomplishments are graduating from Nursing School with highest honors, working in the ICU and CCU at St. Joseph’s hospital as an office nurse, and meeting and treating so many people. She was a Big Red Band nurse for 6 years, and taught junior church at Calvary Memorial for 12 years. Cheryl was also the secretary of Phi Theta Cappa at PCC. She was a member of Hope Free Will Baptist Church.

She had many close friends and a large church family who will miss her deeply.

Cheryl is survived by her husband of 45 years, Steven Michael Echard; her sons, Aaron Michael Echard, of St. Marys, and Andrew Scott Echard, of Parkersburg; and two grandchildren, Madalynn Echard, of St. Marys, and Warren Kainalu Echard, of Honolulu, HI.

In addition to her parents, Cheryl was preceded in death by her brother, Larry Paul Sims.

Visitation will be held from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday, December 12, 2022, at Sunset Memorial Funeral Home. Funeral services will begin at 12 p.m. on Tuesday, December 13, 2022, at Hope Free Will Baptist Church, 916 Winding Road, Parkersburg, WV 26104, officiated by Pastor Bud Corbin. Entombment to follow at Sunset Memory Gardens.

A note from Cheryl’s husband: “I could not be more proud of one single human being than I am of my wife, Cheryl. She was a loving mother, a wonderful wife, and my best friend. I thank God for her and her service to humanity.”