Cheryl Ann Cornell

Cheryl was born January 16, 1955 in Yakima, Washington to Geraldine and Fredrick Schilling. She was baptized at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. When Cheryl was young, her family marched out West to start a dairy. The twice daily milking of cows, feeding the other farm animals, and other dairy chores occupied much of Cheryl’s time. All of their hard work paid off and their dairy was recognized as Darigold’s “Farm of the Year.” She was also active in 4H, showing her beloved cows and horses. She attended both Holy Family and St. Joseph’s Elementary Schools before attending Carroll High School.

After graduating from Carroll High School, she began her career in nursing as a nursing student at Yakima Valley College and the University of Washington. Upon completion, she began work as the youngest Emergency Room nurse at Saint Elizabeth’s Hospital, now Regional. When not at work, Cheryl participated in a St. Joe’s youth ministry program called SEARCH. Even though Cheryl wasn’t looking, it was through this program that she met her future husband, John. On Labor Day, 1979, John and Cheryl were married in St. Joseph’s Church by a longtime family friend, Father Neill Meany, SJ. They settled in Toppenish to be close to John’s work.

After attending the University of California, Los Angeles, she received her nurse practitioner credentials in 1982. Her first job as a nurse practitioner took her to the Lower Valley where she was affiliated with the United States Commissioned Core Indian Health Services staffing their MCH and OB/GYN clinic. The Yakima County Health District is where Cheryl went next where she dealt with communicable diseases, maternal/child health, and obstetrics and gynecology. In 1986, John and Cheryl welcomed their first daughter, Anna, into the world. 1989 was a big year for Cheryl; she not only made the leap into private practice with Dr. Kevin Harrington as one of the first female gynecologists in the area, but also gave birth to her second daughter, Emily. It was also that year John and Cheryl completed the study for and celebrated John’s ordination as a permanent deacon and moved to Yakima.

Always one to give back, she served on a number of local child care agency advisory committees and also donated her time to help with local sports physicals. With the girls growing up, she helped out in any way she could. From working at the Fischer scone booth at the Fair to morphing into “Stitches,” Camp Roganunda’s finest and most overqualified camp nurse, she loved watching them grow. There was also Sunday School, Campfire, school sports... Cheryl was always busy; even while resting in the evenings, she would be stitching a quilt or planning a project for the yard. Cheryl was so much to so many: a listening ear, a shoulder to cry on, nurse, confidant, mother, wife, sister, best friend, and a lover of animals and flowers. She had a life-long love of the good, the beautiful, and the truth.

Cheryl is survived by her husband, John, daughters Emily Cornell, an elementary teacher at St. Cecilia’s in the Seattle area, and Lt. Anna Cornell, US Navy; sisters Dianne St. Mary (Ray) of Yakima, and Mary Sims (Tracy) of Indianapolis, IN; her nieces Nicole Franson (Michael) of Seattle and Victoria Sims of Indianapolis, IN; nephews Patrick St. Mary and daughter Madeline of Seattle, and Ian Schilling of Bloomington, IN. She was preceded in death by her father, Fred Schilling, mother, Geraldine Schilling, and brothers Fred III and Frank Schilling.

A Rosary will be held at Holy Family Catholic Church on Tuesday, June 2, 2015 at 6:30 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Wednesday, June 3, 2015 at Holy Family Catholic Church beginning at 10 a.m. To share a memory of Cheryl, please visit www.lepfuneralhome.com.