LA MOILLE - Charles E. Cherry, 77, of LaMoille passed away March 8, 2021 at Perry Memorial Hospital, Princeton.

Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. on Monday, March 15 at Community United Methodist Church, LaMoille with Rev. David Jungnickel officiating. Burial will be at Holy Cross Cemetery, Mendota with military honors by Mendota VFW Post 4079. Visitation will be held for two hours prior to the funeral at church. Mask wearing is required and social distancing is encouraged. Merritt Funeral Home, Mendota is handling the arrangements.

Charles was born Feb. 19, 1944 in Spring Valley to Henry and Frances (Sissell) Cherry. He married Betty Burkart on Dec. 21, 1968 in LaMoille. She preceded him in death in 2019.

Survivors include one son, Chad Cherry of LaMoille; two daughters, Niki Norquist of Cicero and Sonya (Chad) Rosenow of Mineral; one sister, Linda (Dave) Long of Rock Falls; and six grandchildren, Alana Cherry, Casen Cherry, Carter Cherry, Ella Cherry, Taylor Rosenow and Austin Norquist.

He was preceded in death by his parents and his wife.

Charles was an avid rancher and farmer on his family-owned farm since he was a young boy. He was graduate of LaMoille High School and served in the U.S. Army, mostly in Europe. Upon the death of his father, he took over the full-time operations of the family business, and to supplement his income, he took jobs cleaning up train wrecks with Hulchers and worked with PST cleaning tractor trailers. In his spare time, he enjoyed fishing and other outdoor activities. He took pride in maintaining his property and assuring that his livestock was well cared for and he was astute at maintaining his finances. He very much enjoyed watching his grandchildren play various sports and took great pride in the many achievements of his children as he watched them mature into fine adults. He enjoyed dining out with friends and family alike. Upon the passing of his devoted wife of 50 years, Betty, he rekindled a relationship with his former girlfriend, Carla Zimmerman. They enjoyed each others’ company and spent many hours together. He was a member of the LaMoille Lions Club and Community United Methodist Church.

Memorials may be directed to Community United Methodist Church, LaMoille Lions Club or LaMoille Ambulance. Online condolences may be left at www.merrittfh.com.