Video Memorials

Cheryl VanderSchaaf: Video Memorial, U.S.

A look back at Chery'l’s amazing life though the years, compiled from photos and writings. This was shown at her Memorial in the U.S. which was attended by numerous loving family and friends.

Cheryl VanderSchaaf: Video Memorial, Malaysia

Video Memorial and Incredible Tribute to Chery'l’s and her life in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia. So many friends and loved ones attended, coming in from all over Asia to share their memories and love.

Cheryl VanderSchaaf: Memorial, Hong Kong

Friends and loved ones of Cheryl also held a memorial in Hong Kong, where she lived for many years. Cheryl was honored by those she touched through remembrances, devotions, and stories of her life.

Cheryl VanderSchaaf Memorial Service: Hull, Iowa

Cheryl’s brother Carl made this beautiful tribute at the interment of her ashes in her hometown of Hull, Iowa. Attended by friends and family, many paid their respects and remembered Cheryl for the amazing woman she was.

Transcript:

First of all, I'd like to thank you all for coming today to join us in the celebration of Cheryl's life. I know a lot of you probably didn't know her that well, and its good to see some of you that we haven't seen in a long time, Thank you very much. Cheryl has finally made it full circle and is back in Hull Iowa.

For Cheryl, home did not seem to be a place, a house, or a city. Through her journey throughout her life, she had lived in Boston, San Francisco, France, South America, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumper Malaysia, then finally to Pittsburgh where our sister Gail lived along with her daughter Carrie, all within 15 minutes of each other. Her health had started to wane, and her logic brought her back to the U.S.

No. For Cheryl her home was not a place. Her home was in the people she shared her life with, her experiences throughout her journey, and her intense priority to be an advocate, to help people, and her search for knowledge. Her job throughout the years as a human resource manager was a good fit, where she could help employees, improve their lives, and at the same time improve the culture of the companies she worked for. Cheryl's heart was her biggest asset, always fighting for the underdog. It was her caring heart that led her through every journey and experience throughout her life, paving a road to personal success at the same time, which for her was just a secondary benefit. She experienced joy and fulfillment in helping others which I believe to be her main source of happiness and contentment, making her whole, appreciative of what she had, and the life she was thankful to have had. She conveyed her happiness to have had such a good life, feeling lucky to have had the life she had to a couple of us.

It is not to say she didn't have problems. She had experienced two bout's with cancer, the latter being lung cancer as she found out about her illness in Pittsburgh. I would fly up to Pittsburgh to help both Cheryl and sister Gail as they both had health problems. In my visits with Cheryl and taking her to chemo treatments, I always enjoyed my time with her. She was positive, fun to be with, and sill had a youthful spirit, even with knowing she had cancer. We shared the same views politically which allowed us many conversations of the political atmosphere at the time.

She was always friendly with the nurses at the hospital, smiling and cordial at her hospital visits, despite problems she had while being treated there. Towards the end of her life, her back and stomach problems seemed to keep her from getting around physically, to the point walking to her mail box was becoming to be a chore. On a personal note, I really enjoyed being with Cheryl on every visit and trip to Pittsburgh to see her. After her chemo and radiation treatments, she had lost her hair as they would give her radiation treatments for the brain, as the cancer could spread to the brain.

As a precautionary treatment, it was necessary. She had bought a coffee maker, mostly for me, knowing how much I liked coffee. I always felt at home when visiting her. What I loved about her was how normal she was, chomping on food during our meals and conversations. You would never know she lost her hair, as one would might think it would bother her. Initially she would wear a beanie on her head and sometimes a stylish hat as almost all her hair was gone. As time went on, some of her hair came back in the formation of a mohawk, with a pronounced strip of hair through the center of her scalp. Her attitude never changed through it all, as she was still fun to be around. I enjoyed sitting at her patio table outside talking and having conversations.

In earlier years, Cheryl was always the quiet one when the family got together. I would also say she was the most intelligent of us all. She would mostly sit and observe as the rest of us rambled on in conversation. Cheryl rarely would talk about herself. As a child Cheryl and I were about ten years apart, so I never got to know her that well. Towards the end of my visits at Pittsburgh, I was realizing how much I liked being around her, getting to know her, and I was anticipating more visits and getting to know her even better. I felt lucky to be able to spend time with her and getting to know her.

More and more, I was thankful she came back to the United States to live in Pittsburgh. Through her death, I had the privilege of getting to know Cheryl better through her friends in Malaysia. I would text and communicate with them with my phone, and they would tell me how she had helped people with Parkinson's as Cheryl volunteered her services, and was a familiar face there. People in Malaysia that Cheryl had worked with in prior years would tell me that she had changed people's lives there. Then I started texting with a man by the name of Wu Chang in Malaysia. He had Parkinson's for years. All he wanted from Cheryl after she died, was a picture of himself with Cheryl. He stated that Cheryl had changed his life. After finding out Wu Chang had received the picture, he text back and said "Now Cheryl is with me". I thought it important to know how Cheryl had helped him. Knowing he had Parkinson;s I asked him when he had time, to let me know and explain to me how she helped him. This is what he sent back to me. Im going to read read this off my phone. This a man, Wu Chang was his name, and we started texting several times after Cheryl's death and I got to know him pretty well. He was so thankful for Cheryl and my curiosity took hold of me and I finally asked him how she had helped him. It took him a few days, and each text, you could tell he had Parkinson's, Each text he sent there could be a minute or two in-between small little statements because he had Parkinson's. So it took him a while to text me back.

This is what he said. He said 'Hi Carl's" . He had an accent. And we do have many pictures of him on Cheryl's computer and on the website now. He said "Cheryl was introduced to me by my aunt, in year 2011. At that time I already live with Parkinson disease for more than 10 year without medication. I was been told by my aunt that she is a Parkinson advocate and her phone number was given to me. I was reluctant to call her, due I was confined in my house due to movement difficulties. I finally call her. She was very happy and we chat for more than an hour. She arranged with Parkinsons association Malaysia to come to my house to visit me. She encouraged me to start my medication and recommended a doctor to me. During my initial stage on medication she always text me to follow up my progress on medication. We used to be together for some activities on Parkinson community. I came to know that she was working with my uncle in Hong Kong. She also arranged to meet my uncle which we have not met for more than 10 year. She help me to check through my report on my application for professional engineer. When I was in depression in working, she will offer her advise from her HR background to help me to get through it. She teach me how to deal with my bosses. To summarize, all of these, she brought me out of from the dark. She helped me back as an engineer. She make me a certified professional engineer and a manager now. She also make me as a responsible father and husband. She is my pillar of strength, wind beneath my wing make me fly. I miss her. Sorry, I have to stop, I can't continue. (End of Transcript of texts)

In closing, I would like to say there seemed to be a recurring theme from people who knew Cheryl of how she had changed lives. For Cheryl , life was a journey and experiences. Good or bad. She communicated to us before her death how thankful she was to have had such a good life, and was lucky to have had it. she was content with where she had been, who she spent her time with, and all the different places she had experienced. Most of all, she had changed lives. Most of all, Cheryl liked helping people, and improving there situations. That is what seemed to make her happy. Not money, not prestige, not influence. But instead, looking to help the underdogs. I feel blessed to have known her for a short period of time I had with her. She was selfless, always thinking of the least of us who were in need.

She changed lives. .......May God bless you Cheryl.

Cheryl’s brother Carl set her poem “I Am From” to music. He composed and performed this beautiful tribute.