Cheri Herndon

Cheri Herndon passed away at her Fort Collins, CO home on Saturday, September 11, 2021, after a life filled with joy, adventure, and faith with her family, friends, and all those who loved her. She was 59 years old.

Cheri Herndon was born November 2, 1961 in Melbourne, Florida, to Wallace and Elizabeth Haight. Her father was an electrical engineer whose work for NASA included the power systems for the lunar rovers used on the later moon landings. She fondly remembered Sunday afternoons when he would drive his family out to Kennedy Space Center to see what was on the launch pad for upcoming missions. This helped inspire her strong interest in math and science which eventually led to her career as a software engineer. She graduated from Melbourne High School, completed an associates degree at Brevard Community College in one year, and then transferred to Florida State University to complete her undergraduate education. While at Florida State she met her husband John while they were in the marching band, both of them minoring in music. Her first position was with Cybernetics and Systems, Inc., the computer support system for CSX Transportation. Following this, Cheri and John both entered graduate school at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne, where she earned a master’s in computer science specializing in graphical user interfaces. Even before completion of her master’s thesis she was hired by Hewlett-Packard in Fort Collins. She worked for HP and HPE for some twenty-five years.

Music first brought Cheri and her husband together, and from college through their association with several churches through the years they were always active together in the music programs, with Cheri a member of the handbell choir at First Presbyterian Church Fort Collins for many years as well as playing trombone in various ensembles. She often joined her husband John as a member of the pit orchestra for musicals at Ridgeview Classical Schools. She was also a very fine pianist who particularly enjoyed playing ragtime.

Cheri enjoyed spending as much of her time outdoors as possible in such varied activities as hiking, cycling, and scuba diving as well as playing softball at HP. She also developed a keen interest in photography and videography. When she was not exploring a shipwreck or coral reef, or following a trail through the mountains in Nagano, Japan, or Banff, Canada, she loved reading mysteries and solving puzzles. She even likened her work as a software engineer to puzzle solving, and because she enjoyed it so much, in a way never had to work a day in her life. She was competitive and tenacious, never stepping away from a challenge, whether with a bat in her hand or a particularly complex algorithm. As a software engineer she ensured her code was as clean and near-perfect as it could be from the very start.

The core of her life was always her faith in Christ and her desire to serve Him, especially with her musical gifts. Never one to stand still in her belief, she and her husband John were always seeking to further their Christian faith and in the last five years found their spiritual home in Greek Orthodoxy. A great part of her faith was realized in being a truly loving wife and mother. She enjoyed raising her boys as an adventure and she delighted in their successes and triumphs even as she kept them in her prayers through difficult times.

Cheri was first diagnosed with cancer in early 2015, but successfully regained her health for over three years, fully returning to work and her travels. A return of the cancer required surgeries in 2019 and 2020, the second of which greatly weakened her. She fell asleep in Christ September 11, 2021 at her home in Fort Collins with her husband and oldest son present.

She is survived by her husband of thirty-eight years, John, her sons Geoff and Chris, and her mother, sister, and brother.

Trisagion Prayers followed by reception and start of All-Night Vigil Praying the Psalms in the Church begins at 6:00PM on Tuesday, September 14, 2021 at Saint Spyridon Orthodox Church, 807 W 29th Street, Loveland, CO 80538. A Funeral Service will take place at the Church on Wednesday, September 15, 2021 at 9:00 AM. Cheri will be laid to rest in a Burial Service at 12:00 PM at Grandview Cemetery, 1900 W Mountain Ave., Fort Collins, Colorado 80521. Please join Cheri's family following the burial in returning to Saint Spyridon for a Gathering in her memory at 1:00PM.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.allnuttftcollins.com for the Herndon family.