Cherie Shelton Von Dohlen

Cherie Shelton Von Dohlen Cherie Shelton Von Dohlen, 62, went to her heavenly home as a good and faithful servant of Jesus Christ on Wednesday, April 27, 2005. She had a short stay at St. David’s South Austin Hospital and a longer stay at Seton Medical Center. Cherie was born on October 20, 1942, in Beeville, Texas, and was reared in Goliad, Texas. She graduated from Goliad High School and attended Victoria College and Texas A&I in Kingsville, Texas. After marrying, Cherie resided in Goliad and Austin, Texas. Cherie was a devoted wife to Tim Von Dohlen for over forty years. She was also a loving mother, grandmother “Memaw” and friend. She was a parishioner at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Goliad and at St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Austin. Cherie especially enjoyed serving as a lector and an Extraordinary Eucharistic minister. She was a member of the Catholic Daughters having served as the first Regent of the Goliad Court and a Lady of the Knights and Ladies of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem for more than twenty years. Cherie enjoyed playing bridge with friends, traveling and making new friends. Cherie always put the four men in her life first, “her three boys” and her husband, Tim. Cherie was an example of unselfish love to her parents, family and friends. She was particularly attentive to the “little” and ordinary needs of people. She always thought of and remembered people on their special days. Cherie loved Texas, everything about it, from the bluebonnets and other flowers, to the hummingbirds that brightened her day, to the many coffee stops, frequent roadside parks and a good Texas joke. Cherie was independent, spirited and plain spoken (never a doubt in a stated opinion) in the tradition of a Texas pioneer woman. Cherie loved Texas history, particularly all of the history of Goliad County. Cherie is survived by her husband, Tim; her mother Jean Gouger Reed of Austin; her father Richard P. Shelton of Goliad; her three sons and daughters-in-law: Tim II and Lori of Lockhart, Chris and Terri of Austin, and Patrick and Happy of San Antonio; nine grandchildren Morgan Kay, Chase, Patrick, Trey, Gentry, Cate Elizabeth, Blaine Holly, Wilson and Hope Sherie Marie; her sister and brother-in-law Mary Jon and David Urban of Austin; her brother and sister-in-law Richard M. and Patti Shelton of Sante Fe, Texas; and many nieces and nephews. Cherie actively assisted Tim during his fourteen years of service in the Texas House of Representatives and in helping to serve others through the charitable projects of the Knights of Columbus. Cherie was honored recently as a Rotary Paul Harris Fellow. A Rosary will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, April 29, 2005, at St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Austin. A reception and opportunity for fellowship will follow. A funeral Mass will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 30, 2005, at St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Austin. Burial and reception will follow at the Texas State Cemetery in Austin. A memorial Mass will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 1, 2005, at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Goliad. Special appreciation is expressed by Cherie’s family to the physicians and the ICU nurses of South Austin Hospital and to the ICU staff at Seton Hospital, especially Dr. Michael Watkins and Dr. Darryl Camp who both compassionately gave their all to help her. Also, special appreciation is expressed to her primary care physician, Dr. Howard Marcus. These last days have been blessed by the ministerial guidance of Msgr. Ed Jordan and the presence of Sister Gertrude Levy at Seton. Words really are inadequate to describe the compassion and loving care delivered to Cherie. Pallbearers include Bennie Bock, Howard Chalmers, Bob Chisholm, Dean Davis, Ben Fletcher, Steve Galvan, Andy Horny, Ray Neumann, Jon Newton, Luther Parker, Ladd Pattillo, Claude Prestidge, Richard P. Shelton, II and John David Von Dohlen. Honorary Pallbearers are Cherie's godchildren, the Goliad Ladies Bridge Club, Ladies Christ Renews His Parish #24, Lenten Study Group, and May 2004 Ephesus (Mary’s Home) and St. Paul Pilgrims. Tim shared three wishes with Cherie last Christmas: “happiness for her, that life would always be as wonderful and good to live as she was to him, and a special wish that they would never part and that she would always share with him the love that’s in her heart.” Cherie always shared her love, even if sometimes it was tough love. Everyone strives for success throughout life, few people find significance in life and even fewer through their efforts leave a legacy. Cherie’s legacy is in her “three boys” and her nine grandchildren who provide Cherie’s continued presence with us. We believe Cherie has gone to her eternal reward in Heaven where she is more closely united with our Lord Jesus Christ and where, under God’s plan, we will one day be reunited. Memorial contributions may be made to St. John Neumann Catholic Life Programs, St. John Neumann Catholic Church, 5455 Bee Caves Road, Austin, Texas 78746, or the Cherie and Tim Von Dohlen Scholarship Endowment for Disadvantaged Youth, Victoria College Foundation, Attn: Jennifer, 2200 E. Red River, Victoria, Texas, 77901. Faith, Hope, and Love, but the greatest of these is LOVE. We love you, Cherie. Memorials and guestbook online at wcfish.com