Cheryl Ann Sterner Barrett, 57, devoted wife of 34 years of Kenneth Barrett, and beloved mother of Amanda Grieshop and Megan Barrett, passed away Jan. 31 after a brief and unexpected illness, with her loving family by her side. Cheryl is also survived by her brother, Bill Sterner and grandsons, Samuel and Arlo Grieshop.
Born on March 2, 1949, in Stamford, Conn., Cheryl was the daughter of the late Kurt and Ina May Sterner.
After traveling the world with her family as a child, Cheryl attended Chelmsford High School in Chelmsford, Mass., and graduated from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, Mass. in 1971.
She met Kenneth Barrett in Rota, Spain while touring Europe with a dear college friend, and they married in Lisbon Falls on March 17, 1974.
Cheryl began working for the Maine State Department of Human Services as a child protective caseworker, later as a casework supervisor, and retired after 25 years as a supervisor of central intake in Augusta. Throughout her career, Cheryl befriended and mentored many and practiced a sincere passion for the rights of unwanted and abused children.
In her retirement years, she became a well-known and devoted GOP supporter. Cheryl volunteered as secretary for the Knox County Republican Committee and as corresponding secretary of the Maine Federation of Republican Women. In December 2006, she was elected as the secretary for the Knox County Republican Women.
As a mother, she always openly discussed the beauty and trials of life with her daughters and encouraged them to follow their hearts.
Cheryl loved to garden and enjoyed nature in many aspects. Bird watching, and fishing were two of her favorite pastimes, and she and her husband spent many wonderful weeks in the summer and fall camping in the northern Maine woods with family and friends.
Those who knew her will remember her as a woman who loved her family, enjoyed her friends, and knew how to take pleasure in the simplicities of life.
Visiting hours 2-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m., Sat., Feb. 3 at Hall Funeral Home, 949 Main St., Waldoboro.
Celebration of her life 2 p.m., Sun., Feb. 4 at Hall Funeral Home.
Burial will take place at the Cochran Cemetery in Templeton, Penn. on Wed., Feb. 7 2007.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Cheryl’s memory to Kno-Wal-Lin Hospice, 170 Pleasant St., Rockland, ME 04841.
Arrangements are entrusted to Hall Funeral Home and Cremation Service, Waldoboro.
