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Cheryl Lynn ‘Sherry’ (Colpetzer) Gardner

Nov. 15, 1955 – Dec. 18, 2024

Gardner

Cheryl Lynn “Sherry” (Colpetzer) Gardner, 69, of Pocatello, Idaho, formerly of Altoona, passed away early Wednesday morning, Dec. 18, 2024, after a brief but fierce battle with cancer. Her beloved husband was by her side. She was born in Altoona.

Sherry is survived by her husband, Rickey Lee Gardner, of Pocatello, Idaho; her sons: Berkano Saxon of Pocahontas, Ark., David Andrew (Amanda) Fink and Adam Lee (Teresa) Fink of Pocatello, Idaho; her daughters, Shannon Renee (William) Ritchey of Fort Drum, N.Y., and Kelly Suzanne (David) Fink of Windber; stepchildren: Robert (Brittany), David, Tara, Gabriel and Charity; grandchildren: David M., Elijah, Richie, Adison, Drayton, Freya, Verik, Nicholas (Nicole), Brody (Kassi), Kylie (Khai), Vinzent, Gabriella, Remington, Destiny (Joshua), Shania (Chris), Jason, Mickayla, Matthew, Hunter, Harlie, William, Jamie, Lillie, David A., Zinnia and Dahlia; three great-grandchildren: Ezra, Charlie and Whitney; her mother-in-law, Johnnie Gardner; her sisters: Debra (Fred) Hall, Janis Moore, Terri (Lenny) Nelson and Donna (Ron) Beck; her brother-in-law, Ronald Gardner; her sister-in-law, Cyndee Colpetzer; and numerous nieces, nephews and other extended family.

Sherry was preceded in death by an infant son, Earl Frederick Fink Jr.; parents, Harry and Suzanne (DeLarre) Colpetzer; father-in-law, Ferguson Baker Gardner; brothers, Harry Wayne and Gary Michael Colpetzer; brothers-in-law, Tom Moore and Kenneth Gardner; and a sister-in-law, Pam Colpetzer.

Sherry was a free spirit with a sharp intellect and vivid imagination, whose life was guided by a deep sense of wanderlust. Her passions included cooking, baking, crafting, drawing, hiking, gardening, activism and spirituality — but above all, Sherry loved to write.

As a single mother of five children with little means, she studied English at Penn State Altoona, and went on to author innumerable short stories, essays, blogs and poems. She met her soulmate on a Greyhound bus and married him on Nov. 5, 1996. Sherry’s travels took her to every corner of the United States, but no matter which neighborhood she called home, she was a mother to all.

Family received friends at 1 p.m. Monday, Dec. 23, 2024, at Wilks Funeral Homes, 211 W. Chubbuck Road, Chubbuck, Idaho.

A funeral service was held at 9 a.m. Monday, Dec. 30, 2024, at Riggles Gap Bible Church, 613 Lear Road, Altoona.

Her final journey will conclude when she is laid to rest beside her first-born child and parents immediately following the service at Blair Memorial Park, 3234 E. Pleasant Valley Blvd., Altoona.

Condolences may be shared at www.wilksfuneralhomes.com.