Cheryl Gross passed away on Aug. 14, 2024, in St. George, Utah, after complications from a serious fall.
Cheryl graduated with honors from Rapid City High School in 1961 at age 16. She played the piano and the viola in both her high school and city orchestras. She loved math and could add columns of numbers in her head without a calculator (a skill that came in handy when she organized “Thunder on the Lake,” turning the Canyon King paddle wheeler into a casino.)
Armed with her ever-present yellow legal pad, Cheryl could organize the world, or at least her close family and friends. She worked for ARAMARK and during that time, she was the editor of Leisure Times and a staff writer for the Lake Powell Magazine.
Cheryl was instrumental in planning the Lake Powell Parade of Lights and starting the Page Car Show. This year Cheryl was an honorary judge at the Car Show and presented a plaque in her name. (With family appreciation to J.C. Hackett.) Cheryl planned her sister’s and her daughter’s weddings; she organized poker parties, houseboat trips, and family gatherings.
Cheryl loved music (every generation of her family can sing the lyrics to songs from the late 50s and early 60s because of her.) She loved nature, thunderstorms, and Captain Morgan. She created unique crafts (including intricately-constructed beaded spiders) that she shared with her friends, family and finally, the doctors and nurses at the hospital.
Cheryl, a longtime resident of Page, was happily married to John Gross, and together they enjoyed houseboating, membership in the Elks Club, and interacting with their friends and family until his death in 1997.
Cheryl is survived by her stepson Jack (Mary) Gross, son Mark (Christy) Waldman, daughter Melanie (Mark) Suttie, grandchildren Kariann (Dylan) Waldman, Amanda (Brant) Parker and Matthew (Brittany) Suttie, and great-grandchildren Claire, Kaydee, Nathan, Della and Nolan, her sister Mari (Ron) Davis, niece Jannifer (Pete) Young and their children Christian, Pierce and Penelope. The family would like to thank Tim Daniels for his loving care of Cheryl.
Date and location of Cheryl’s Celebration of Life to be determined. In lieu of flowers, please donate to her favorite charity, St. Jude’s.
