Fern A. Cherry

Benton, Wisconsin Fern was born May 21, 1928, in Leadmine, Wisconsin, the daughter of Ellsworth “Dewley” and Nellie (Bennett) Glasson. She was delivered by Benton’s female doctor, Dr. Xenna Bent, at the family’s home place on Aetna Road. She and her brother, Earl, grew up in rural Leadmine. One of Fern’s early recollections as a young girl was that of being sent across the field to borrow vanilla extract from a neighbor. “I guess the pudding didn’t have much flavor that night;” she said, “I drank all the vanilla on my way back home!” Fern attended the Silverthorn School and later the Leadmine Grade School, occasionally riding to school on the family horse. Always a social person, Fern said her report cards occasionally contained less-than-stellar grades in behavior, known at that time as “deportment.” Students from Leadmine Grade School attended high school in Benton, where Fern was one of 20 graduates of the Class of 1946. She talked of times when she and friends would make the two-mile trip into town by hopping onto the running boards of the banker’s car. On April 7, 1947, Fern married John Junior “Jake” Cherry. They lived in Benton, where together they had six children. Fern enjoyed spending time with her family, particularly with her grandchildren. Fern had a quick wit and liked a good time. In 1965 she wore a green metallic suit to her daughter Marene’s wedding; she called it her “Liberace Suit." When Marene’s daughter, Kim, got married—almost 30 years later—Fern left the reception, only to return sporting that same green metallic suit, which she shamelessly wore for the remainder of the evening. Fern found humor in all types of situations. She was once in the audience of a popular Chicago radio talk show when she was chosen to go on stage. At the time, she worked at the Egg Plant in Dubuque, Iowa, and jokingly told the host they were both in the egg business, “. . . only I crack ‘em,” she said, “and you lay ‘em!” In addition to working at the Egg Plant, Fern also worked at the Dubuque Stamping Company and later at Lands’ End in Dodgeville. She drove bus for the Benton School District for many years. As a sports lover of all types, Fern was both a participant and a spectator. She enjoyed golfing in the summer and league bowling in the winter. She followed the Benton Zephyrs, as well as the college teams for which her son Kyle was a kicker. She was a Packer and a Badger fan but would watch any type of televised sport, typically adding her own colorful commentary. Fern grew up in a musical family, and though she didn’t play the piano, the guitar, or the banjo like her parents or her brother, she loved music and could harmonize to anything. She could also yodel well, something her young children would often ask her to do. Many of the good times Fern enjoyed were spent on the dance floor. She and her husband were good dancers, and in her later years, Fern went dancing virtually every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night. It was not unusual for her to sneak away from holiday gatherings to go dancing at the Elmo Club or at Hideaway Acres. Fern had a number of very special friends—among them her dancing partner, Roy Solberg, and her long-time friend, Janet Spillane. Fern and Janet loved a good card game and reveled in a winning hand of Euchre or Cribbage. The two best friends enjoyed many adventures together, including their vacations and their travels in Fern’s Merry Miler conversion van, which they jokingly called “The Widow Wagon.” Surviving Fern are her six children: Marene (Richard) Crabtree of Thorp, WI; Sherri (Gary) Timmerman and Gayle (Jim) Wolf of Benton, WI; Jay (Patricia) Cherry of Maquoketa, IA; Kandice (Michael) Stallsmith of Dubuque, IA; and Kyle (Stacey) Cherry of Germantown, TN. Fern is also survived by 12 grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren, along with three step-grandchildren and four step-great-grandchildren; and her sister-in-law Virginia Cherry Roelli. Fern was preceded in death by her husband, “Jake”; her parents, “Dewley” and Nellie Glasson; and her brother and sister-in-law, Earl and Lila (Rowe) Glasson. Fern was interested in the preservation of local history and over the years donated a number of articles to Benton’s museums. Memorials in her name may be made to Swindlers’ Ridge Museum or to the 1896 School House Museum. Memorials may also be made to the Alzheimer’s Association. The family extends its appreciation to the expert staff of the Southwest Health Center Nursing Home in Cuba City; to Fern’s doctor, Dr. Connolly; and to the staff of the Southwest Health Center, Platteville, Wisconsin.