Cheryl Sue Center's Obituary
Cheryl passed away unexpectedly one day before her 78th birthday. She was looking forward to her birthday and receiving a new dog from her best friend, Debbie. Cheryl loved her dogs and always had treats for the neighbors’ dogs when they walked by her house.
Cheryl also loved her Mustang, which she proudly drove around Marine City with the license plate “BIGRED1”! As she once said, if you're going to get a Mustang, may as well get “a big red one”!
Cheryl, daughter of Israel and Molly Center, was a wonderful wife, step-mother, sister, aunt, cousin, friend, and neighbor. She lost her first husband, Jack Gorman, after 25 years of marriage and her second husband, Brian Haynes, after 3 years of marriage. In spite of these losses, Cheryl maintained her zany, wonderful sense of humor and her gift for entertaining everyone with her delightful stories. One favorite story was when she was visiting family who were ordering ribs at the Tunnel BBQ in Windsor, Canada and Cheryl gave a long lecture on the proper way to eat ribs. It was especially funny because Cheryl was raised in a Jewish family, where she never ate pork at home!
Speaking of food, Cheryl always brought her signature Blender Cheesecake to Debbie and Jame’s home every Thanksgiving and Christmas! The family is searching for a comparable recipe.
Cheryl was born and raised in Windsor, Ontario, Canada before crossing the river and settling in Michigan. She graduated from Wayne State University in Detroit and worked most of her career as a Laboratory Technician in River District Hospital, East China Township, Michigan. Cheryl was well-liked and respected by her colleagues and team. Although she always maintained Canadian citizenship, she was a very proud “honorary American” and felt more at home in the United States than her birth country as years went on, developing her closest friendships within her local community.
Cheryl will be dearly missed by her sister Barbara; brother Rick (Catherine); nephews Ryan, Justin (Nilani), and Ben; grand-niece Suriya; step-son and home handyman Jason; best friends Debbie, Jame, and family; and all her relatives, cousins, friends, neighbors, and community. Everybody loved Cheryl, from the postman to the cashiers in the grocery store. She had an infectious laugh and accepted everyone for who they were. At Cheryl’s request, she was cremated and there will be no service.
Cheryl liked to have the last word, so here it is on a T-shirt found in her room:
When I get old, I don’t want people thinking, “What a sweet little old lady.” I want them saying “OH CRAP! What is she up to NOW?”
Cremation arrangements entrusted to Young Funeral Home, China Twp. To leave a message of comfort visit www.youncolonial.com
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