Betty Lee Cherry's Obituary
Betty Lee Cherry was welcomed into the world on April 20, 1936, in Charlotte, North Carolina by her proud parents Roy and Annie Lee Grier. She was the oldest of 6 children: Betty, Leroy, Clarence, Ruby, Valerie, and Angeline.
Betty sang in her church choir as a child. She graduated from West Charlotte High School in 1954. After graduation she went to the post office and took a test to join the U.S. Air Force, but later changed her mind. She opted to ride the country bus Uptown to attend cosmetology school and received her license. She became an in-demand hair stylist known for working wonders with a straightening comb!
In her early 20s Betty went to live with her aunt Maggie in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania for about two years. She returned to Charlotte and worked at Brookside Cut Rate Pharmacy. She always knew she wanted to marry, and to only marry once. Her future husband, William Henry Cherry, visited Brookside Pharmacy often, mostly to buy milkshakes made by Betty. They dated for two years and had a son, Steven Lavan, before marrying on June 23, 1961. Pregnant and with Steven in tow, she moved to New York in 1962 to live with William’s mother, Mary Lee Cherry, while William moved to San Diego, California for work. She gave birth to Stephanie Leann in New York before joining William in San Diego that same year. Sharon Lynn was born three years later.
Betty loved and adored William, and proudly stood by him for 63 years. William and Betty settled and raised their three children, Steven, Stephanie, and Sharon in Southeast San Diego. She adored her children. She happily attended their school events and never stopped encouraging them through adulthood and parenthood.
Betty worked in photo finishing for many years. She later developed a passion for early childhood education and fulfilled that passion by working for San Diego City Schools, Neighborhood House, Head Start, and Jacobs Center until she retired in 1998. Betty also decided in her 40s to pursue a bachelor’s degree. She became a fierce Alta Vista community advocate and neighborhood coordinator. She worked with local politicians and was instrumental in convincing the San Diego Transit Authority to extend a bus route through Alta Vista, which increased opportunities for people in the neighborhood to commute throughout San Diego County. She was a long-time, faithful, active member of Bayview Baptist Church.
Betty loved to travel. She regularly traveled to Jamaica Queens Long Island, New York to visit her in-laws Mary Lee Cherry and Benjamin “Pop Benny” Garner; Charlotte, North Carolina to visit her siblings and attend family reunions, and her all-time favorite destination: Las Vegas, Nevada.
Betty is survived by her husband of 63 years William Cherry, sister Valerie Stewart, son Steven Cherry (Veronica), daughter Sharon Cherry-Cummings (Reggie), grandson, Marcus Lewis, and granddaughters Courtney and Christina Cummings. Those who passed before her include her parents Roy and Annie Lee, brothers Clarence and Leroy Grier, sisters Ruby McCrorey and Angeline Grier, daughter Stephanie Leann Cherry, grandson Sean Leon Bullard-Cherry, and many more beloved relatives and close friends.
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