Cheryl A. Raber

Cheryl Ann (Lavery) Raber passed away peacefully on April 30, 2012 in the loving
arms of her husband Dave. They had 37 wonderful years of marriage.
Survived by husband Dave, son Beau, daughter Olivia and grandson LeVon; parents
Richard and Doris Lavery, sisters Debbie (Bob) Armstead and Joni Lavery, brother
Bill (Michelle) Lavery; sister in-law Kathryn (Jeff) Thomas, brother in-law Mike
(Jen) Raber,sister in-law Jean (Steve) Lynn, brother in-law
Jon(Lene) Raber and brother in-law Dan (Marsha) Raber. She is preceded in death
by her in-laws Paul J. and Sharol Ann Raber.

Cheryl was employed by Skyline Corporation, Miles Laboratories, and she worked
for her father at Laro Corporation, finally purchasing the business in 2001.
Most recently she worked for Forest River.

Cheryl married her high school sweetheart in 1974 on tee number three at Raber
Golf Course. Cheryl’s greatest joy was her family, from the regular Sunday
dinners with her children to playing marathon euchre tournaments with anyone who
would sit down long enough. One of her greatest joys was her new grandson LeVon
Camden Parker. She delighted in every new word, every hug and kiss, and every
squeal of delight.

Cheryl’s second greatest passion was riding in their 1953 fire engine red
convertible Cadillac, sitting next to her husband Dave. “Caddie cruising” was
the appropriate term. She loved getting together with friends and meeting new
people. If she and David went to a new place, Cheryl would make sure they knew
half of the people there before leaving. She adored her friends and couldn’t
wait to hug each and every one of them. It has been said that Cheryl taught
people how to hug.

Cheryl’s grandmother Lavery taught her to love baseball, particularly the
Chicago Cubs. From that grew a passion for the Chicago Bears. If the Cubs or the
Bears were playing, you would find Cheryl in front of a television or at the
game, always dressed in the appropriate team jersey, hat, gloves, shorts and
jewelry. Her love of these two teams dictated the naming of their rottweilers,
Butkus, Payton, Halas and Hampton.

Cheryl will be missed by her family, her friends and anyone who knew her.

Visitation will be casual from 2-4pm and 5-8pm Thursday May 3, at
Stemm-Lawson-Peterson Funeral Home at Cobblestone Crossing, Elkhart.
Please show your love by wearing Chicago Cubs or Bears apparel.
A celebration of Life Service will be held the last weekend in July.

Memorials for Cheryl may be made to United Cancer Services of Elkhart County.