Our family moved to Sandy, Utah from California over 30 years ago. We told our realtor that we did not want to look at any split-level homes, but after looking at several houses, she said there was one split-level home she wanted us to look at in a nice neighborhood in Sandy. We ended up purchasing that house. I think we were meant to live on that street because three houses down from us lived the Valdez family.
We came to know Cheryl and Gil and their children. Cheryl was a realtor, a wife, and a mother, and in the prime of her life was struck with MS. Cheryl drove, cooked, shopped, and did everything she could, though now confined to a wheelchair. She was independent and resourceful. She would drive over and pick me up to go and get a treat or run an errand. When driving became difficult, she utilized her motorized wheelchair and made her way to the store for a treat. She learned how to order things from the TV and became very good at that. Cheryl collected scarves of every color, even holiday scarves, and she had beautiful jewelry. I liked seeing how she was put together with her scarves and jewelry. Chocolate treats of any sort were a favorite of hers.
She was an incredible friend and listener. I could talk with her about anything. I would tell her the nervousness I felt teaching a teenager to drive and she would laugh and listen. I told her that I was stressed about an upcoming summer of girl’s camps, and she would smile and listen. It has been my great blessing and privilege to have her as a friend for over thirty years. I would like to share a few of the many things that I have learned from her.
Number one: A friend is someone who you know will always be there for you. A friend is constant and kind. A friend listens and does not judge. Cheryl was a great friend.
Number two: The disease that Cheryl suffered from made her world shrink, and it kept closing in as the years went by. Things she used to be able to do she could no longer do. How did she deal with this adversity? She showed great patience, adaptability, humor, and compliance. In all the years I have known her, I never once heard her complain. I know you won’t believe me, but it’s true! She did not whine, she did not compare her life to someone else’s, and she did not rant about God or her circumstances. She humbly bore it. She endured well.
Number three: Because of Cheryl and her condition, I was able to put things in my life in the proper perspective. Things that seemed big or annoying and worrisome faded when I went to visit her and saw what she was dealing with. I guess you could say that it’s good to have friends in hard places because it changes your outlook and all of a sudden your life seems so easy. She changed my vision of life, and of what is really important.
Number four: I have learned that sometimes the people who have the weakest bodies have the strongest souls. Though her body shut down and no longer responded, her soul was independent, strong, and sometimes stubborn. She was valiant, she was a fighter, and a light.
I pay tribute to her and the life she lived. I believe that the way she handled her circumstances here on earth will bring her great eternal rewards. She bore tremendous affliction patiently, without complaint. Surely the angels in heaven have recorded her days and her triumphs.
I pay tribute to her loving and caring sister, to her amazing son-in-law and her beautiful granddaughters, and I would like to pay especial tribute to Cheryl’s daughter Bridgette who was both a daughter and a mother, who served and cared for her mother in a very wonderful and loving way for many, many years. Bridgette, you are incredible and I stand in awe of your strength and love.
I know that Jesus Christ lives. Jesus Christ and God the Father set up a wonderful plan for us. This life on earth is just one part of the plan. I look forward to seeing Cheryl again one day. Because of Jesus Christ, this glorious hope is possible.
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