Cheryl René Hutchison

Although we see much on the road as we roam, it’s nice to remember, there’s no place like home.” These words were written by Cheryl to her daughters the year she turned her annual Christmas letter into a Christmas poem. Throughout Cheryl’s life, she lived in many different physical homes, but she was always happy to be wherever her family could join her.

Cheryl’s first home was in St. Louis, Missouri where she was born to her parents Norman and Rosejean Ettmueller. She didn’t live in Missouri for long, but enough time to know the joy of eating deep butter cake or gooey butter cake from Kirkwood Bakery. These treasured baked goods continued to be enjoyed throughout her life even though they lacked one of her favorite ingredients of all time - chocolate.

The majority of Cheryl’s childhood years were spent in Holland, Michigan. Michigan had cold winters which sometimes made walking to school a challenge, especially for a young girl wearing a skirt, but she really enjoyed the springtime. The annual Tulip Time Festival meant Holland was bursting with beautiful blooms and it was time to don wooden shoes and a Dutch outfit to walk with her class in the parade.

During her high school years, her family moved to Indiana. She was a member of the marlin swim team while at Clay High School in South Bend. After graduating from LaPorte High School, she moved to Terre Haute to attend Indiana State University and earned her master’s degree in education. She taught for 32 years for the Vigo County School Corporation at Warren, Deming, and Rio Grande Elementary Schools. For most of her career she taught kindergarten. Cheryl did not enjoy her own kindergarten experience and said she wanted to be a kindergarten teacher to show young students that school is a welcoming space where it can be fun to learn.

It was during her time at Indiana State where she met her husband, Russell Hutchison. The life they created and enjoyed together started with very humble means. They were married in 1970 and moved into a trailer in West Terre Haute. It was in this home that two young college students were able to complete their education, go to work, and raise their newborn twin daughters, Heather and Hope. The early years of their marriage were not easy, but they overcame every challenge and celebrated every joy and continued doing just that for over 55 years.

On the day Cheryl and Russ welcomed their third daughter, Heidi, into the world, their family moved into a new home with more room to accommodate their growing family. Cheryl was grateful to her in-laws, Alice and Hutch, for helping her family move that day while she was taking care of other business. There was a brick fireplace in the living room Cheryl used as an oven to bake fresh loaves of bread. Loaf pans were placed on brick shelves and the fresh-baked aroma filled the home to the delight of her daughters who waited in anticipation for the bread to be cool enough to eat. This little yellow house on Center Street with two huge sycamore trees out front was where Jim and Vicki started out as neighbors before becoming lifelong friends.

After some years of city life, Cheryl and Russ moved their family to the country. A white 1901 farm house and the 40 acres surrounding it is where Cheryl most enjoyed being. She loved watching the wildlife, a freshly fallen snow, and the spring wildflowers, but most of all, she loved the transition the trees made in the fall to the vibrant hues of orange, red, and yellow. Her family embraced the country life and quickly went from city-slickers to country homesteaders. There was a large garden where the family planted, tended to, and harvested rows of fresh vegetables. Cheryl processed the harvest in the kitchen and glass jars of veggies lined the wooden shelves in the basement. The Hutchison farm also raised chickens and had horses, turkeys, geese, rabbits, and dogs.

When Cheryl’s daughters started their own families, this homestead became the gathering place. Spring meant it was time for mushroom hunting and family Easter egg hunts. The annual 4th of July parties were a time to celebrate Hope and Heather’s birthday, reunite with extended family, and spend time fishing, swimming, eating Red Vines, and enjoying a cookout. Auktoberfest was filled with competitive games, hayrides, fishing, and lots of photo taking. The first good snow of the season usually meant the family gathered for a day of sledding. Christmas was Cheryl’s favorite holiday. When her children were young, Christmas involved the whole family visiting the Christmas tree farm where her daughters would stand sentinel next to Cheryl’s favorite trees until she made the final decision as to which one would be the centerpiece of their home that year. Bing Crosby’s Christmas album played in the background as the tree was decorated with handmade ornaments, ornaments gifted by students, and other treasures accumulated over the years. The kitchen would be covered in flour, sprinkles, and colored sugars while Cheryl made Christmas cookies with her three daughters. The house always had Christmas M&M’s and Hershey’s Kisses throughout the season and Fannie May chocolates were a part of every Christmas morning. Cheryl loved all the made-for-tv Christmas movies and wrote annual Christmas letters for her adult daughters for a very long time.

Christmas cookies were not the only thing Cheryl loved to bake. Throughout the rest of the year, if she was making cookies, they were likely chocolate chip using the recipe right off the back of the yellow Nestle bag. She was famous for the fudgy richness of her brownies that were present at just about any family gathering. She had developed her own secret recipe utilizing the shortcuts of some boxed mixes but they always had to be baked in a glass dish of just the right size. Family gatherings also usually included her baked mac and cheese that was cut into squares more like a lasagna than the creamy scoopable kind that most other families have.

Cheryl wasn’t always at home as she did love to travel and her favorite destinations usually had sand, shells, and lighthouses. In 2024, Cheryl was able to rent a home that held 15 members of her family under one roof for a week-long vacation. She felt especially blessed being able to enjoy Gulf Shores, AL with her husband, three daughters, sons in-law, and grandchildren. Fort Myers Beach, Florida was Cheryl’s temporary home every winter. Only a hurricane could stop her from going. Heather, Hope, and Heidi joined Cheryl and Russ during their stay in January and Cheryl used a beach wheelchair to search for shells with her family one last time.

She loved to create things with her hands. She enjoyed folk arts like stenciling and cross-stitch. It was not uncommon for her to be sitting on the couch and watching tv while also counting out little squares for the cross-stitch design tautly pulled in the current embroidery hoop. Beading and making jewelry became a newer hobby for her and she sold earrings, bracelets, and necklaces at local craft fairs under the name, The Bead Hutch.

Cheryl didn’t take part in many sports after high school, but she continued to be involved in them. She managed all three of her daughters’ softball teams and was the scorekeeper for most of their games. She loved watching football and was an avid Chicago Bears fan before the Indianapolis Colts moved to Indiana. She was lucky enough to meet Walter Payton and have him sign her 1985 vinyl of the Super Bowl Shuffle. She was thrilled that her brother, Denny, was able to get her tickets to the 2007 Super Bowl to see the Colts defeat the Bears. She attended just about any sport her grandkids were involved in including football, softball, baseball, soccer, basketball, track, and even robotics competitions.

Family was everything to Cheryl. She was so proud of who her daughters grew up to be but that was in part a reflection of the hard work she put in as a young parent. Cheryl constantly referred to her family as her blessings and her family will constantly be reminded of her blessings she has left behind. Each time we laugh at one of Russ’s puns. Each time we see the transition to fall color. Each time we eat a piece of chocolate. Each time we feel the urge to dance. We will know that our lives are blessed because we knew Cheryl.

Cheryl Hutchison passed away September 25, 2026 surrounded by family and friends. Cheryl is survived by her husband, Russell Hutchison, and their daughters and sons in-law Heather (Kevin) Cahill, Hope (Kenneth) Massey, Heidi (Brien) Shoemaker and six grandchildren, Megan, Carter, Zachary (Allysa), Nicholas, Ethan, and Jacob. She is also survived by her brother, Dennis (Sandy) Ettmueller, and her sister, Kristi (John) Pritz, and numerous extended family members. She is also survived by her dear friends, Jim and Vicki Walsh, who blessed her with love and support throughout her ALS journey.

Cheryl took part in the ALS walk in Indianapolis while living with the disease to raise funds to help people living with ALS. She also took part in a medical trial. In her own words, she said “If I don’t live long enough to benefit from it, I hope others will.” In lieu of flowers, please donate to The ALS Association in Cheryl’s memory.

Visitation is on Tuesday, October 6 from 11-1:00 p.m. at Mattox-Wood Funeral Home in Terre Haute, Indiana with a service to follow. Guests are welcome to wear fall colors to celebrate Cheryl’s favorite season. Cheryl will be laid to rest at Roselawn Memorial Park immediately following.