sad goodbye

Cheryl Kaye Rutledge Wagoner
May 9, 1944 – April 26, 2006

I love this picture of my aunt Cheryl and my dad. The magic of twins!

I have always heard that my grandfather chased the doctor around the table when he learned that my grandmother had just had twins. Times have definitely changed. Apparently, no one had any idea. My uncle Richard told me last year that he didn’t even realize that his mom was pregnant. He was around the age of ten when they brought home a baby girl and a baby boy, to his complete surprise. I was shocked that he was clueless. But he explained that people didn’t talk about things like that back then. Plus, she had always been a little heavy.

As a little girl, I spent countless hours looking through the family photos of all of the birthday parties with matching cakes and two sets of gifts, like tricycles.

They were followed by pictures of them around the age of five dressed up in formal wear. They were the perfect mascots for Germanton School, which still stands less than a hundred yards from her home.

These pictures portray Cheryl’s wonderful smile and great sense of humor. Henry and I feel so lucky that we were able to experience both over Easter weekend when we saw her last. We all love you and miss you.