Cheryl Cecelia Smith

Cheryl Cecelia Smith, 71, was greeted on February 17, 2023 by the guardian angels that surrounded her during her life. She will forever fly with her angels and watch over those she loved so dearly in this life.

Cheryl was born in October 1951 to Carl Whitaker and Mary (Betty) Davies in Pocatello, Idaho, where she was raised with six of her younger siblings. She graduated from Pocatello High School in 1970 and from there immediately went on to continue her education and start her career in nursing. As she worked to establish her career path, she also began creating her own family.

Cheryl was caring, nurturing, compassionate, empathetic, and highly intelligent… the perfect recipe for an excellent nurse. She spent the first half of her 48-year nursing career focused in Labor & Delivery, caring for new mothers and their newborn babies. She had a nurturing quality that was absolutely perfect for this role. After her three children were raised, she moved on to travel nursing, serving out contracts from the northernmost part of Alaska to the US Virgin Islands, to New York, Boston, Phoenix, LA, and countless places in between. Her final calling as a nurse, and likely the most impactful part of her career, was caring for one of her beloved brothers at his request during the final days of his fight against cancer. He knew, without a doubt, that there wasn’t another nurse on this earth that would provide the loving care he needed at the level his big sister would.

Cheryl genuinely adored traveling and being able to see what the other parts of the country had to offer. She enjoyed even the longest drives, as it allowed her to see the sights and different landscapes along the way. She had a gift for finding the most interesting and unique things to do and places to see off the beaten path, near whatever part of the country she was in at the time. She enjoyed having guests visit her on her assignments whenever possible, and often considered the company as an extra opportunity to seek out these cool things to do or see. She was naturally friendly and loved that she had the chance to meet new friends wherever she went.

Cheryl enjoyed many different crafting activities and hobbies throughout her life, such as stained glass and various sewing projects. She was very drawn to quilting and crafted countless beautiful quilts that she gifted to loved ones over the years. One of her favorite things to do as she traveled was to find local quilt shops and nearby quilting shows, and pick up a cute fabric or fun pattern from each place.

In her retirement, Cheryl‘s caring nature continued on as she found so much joy in putting together and delivering her delicious oven-ready meals, or arranging surprise cookie deliveries to her loved ones ‘just because’. Her thoughtfulness and generosity were second to none.

One of Cheryl’s self-proclaimed greatest blessings, aside from her own children, was the arrival of her only grandchild; she very often made a point to express how much joy he brought to her life.

Cheryl was loved by and touched the lives of so many. She will be deeply missed and forever remembered by her children: Jason, Shelby, and Ashley Smith, and her grandson: Gaige Benson.

While services are not planned at this time, a celebration to remember Cheryl’s life will be held at a later date.

Memories and condolences may be shared with the family under the Tribute Wall tab above.