Cheryl Bartkavage

Cheryl is survived by her son, Ramon Rene Alcantara (Debi) of Indianapolis, IN; son, Daniel Ivan Alcantara and his spouse, Eric James Dutcher, of Gulfport, Florida; her brother, Bill Worl (Linda) of Huntertown, IN; her nephew, Craig Worl (Edmy) of New Haven, IN; nephew, Bryan Worl of Cathedral City, CA; nephew, Scott Worl (Ange) of Reno, NV; niece, Kelli Baker (Chris) of Fishers, IN; niece, Kathy Forte (Tony) of Fuquay-Varina, NC; niece, Maria (Louis) Reagan of Fort Worth, TX; and her step-grandchildren, Steven Shearer, Andrew Shearer, Michael Howley, Christina Donges, Jonathan Donges and Lillian Wulfgang.

She was preceded in death by her son, Marco Antonio Alcántara (1995), sister-in-law, Melinda Worl (2008), her brother Barry Worl (2017), and her husband Chester Constantine Bartkavage (2021).

Cheryl was born on October 21, 1943, in Falls Church, VA to George and Helen Rans Worl. She was raised Protestant on a farm in Kewana, IN surrounded by a large and loving family. Cheryl excelled in school and graduated as valedictorian of her class at Kewanna High School. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Manchester College, and in ensuing years, travelled to France to further her studies in French and language arts while spending significant time in Paris.

On June 21, 1967, Cheryl married Hugo Ivan Alcantara in New Orleans, LA and they relocated to Valparaiso, IN. Cheryl spent the next several years building a family and raising three sons. In 1984, she relocated her family to Fort Wayne, IN, where she began teaching at Blackhawk Middle School (FWCS) where she taught for 29 years, forming lifelong friendships along the way. During her career, she earned the opportunity to travel to Douala, Cameroon to further study the French language. While on safari, her group encountered a herd of more than 300 elephants, an experience that profoundly influenced her, forming a love of elephants that endured for the remainder of her life.

She retired from teaching on June 1, 2008. Cheryl was a member of the Foreign Language Teacher's Association, Beta Sigma Phi, ISTA/NEA, Allen County Retired Educator's Association, IRTA, and the Fort Wayne Encore Club. She enjoyed traveling, reading, music, arts, theater and spending time with friends and family.

Around 2013, Cheryl met Chet Bartkavage, the love of her life. They wed on July 12, 2014, the same day as the birthday of her mother, Helen “Dita” Worl. Cheryl and Chet enjoyed the next eight great years together, bringing warmth and happiness to all who knew them. They participated in numerous activities together over the years and were surrounded by a circle of family and friends.

A memorial service will be on July 18, 2026, at 12:00 pm, at D.O. McComb & Sons Funeral Home - 4017 Maplecrest Road, Fort Wayne, Indiana 46815, with a memorial gathering from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm.

For those who wish to give a memorial in Cheryl’s name, in lieu of flowers, please send donations to the following charitable organizations:

· American Cancer Society https://www.cancer.org

· American Foundation for Suicide Prevention https://afsp.org/

· The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee www.elephants.com