Cheryl E. Ford

Everyone who knew Cheryl E. Ford fell in love with her. She was kind, sweet and patient. Cheryl was always there to help anyone who asked and out of everything, her family meant the most to her, and they all knew it.

With WWII ending the year prior, 1947 saw a high demand of consumer goods and the auto industry was in high production of new cars. This year saw some of the most significant inventions that would impact lives for many years to come including the Transistor and the mobile phone. With many of the service men and women returning home from war, much of American households were welcoming new babies into their hearts and homes. Amongst these families were Wendell and Doris (Evilsizer) Bowlin and on January 24, 1947 in Du Quoin, Illinois, Cheryl Bowlin was born.

At a young age her family moved to the west side of rural Allen County in Indiana and she attended Aboite Elementary. While growing up, she enjoyed the time getting away from the chores to be with her dad as they would go hunting and fishing. She joked later in life that she was brought along to help row the boat for her father. While attending Arcola High School, Cheryl was involved with playing basketball and volleyball. It was also there that she met a young gentleman that would change her life forever and would date for three years. She graduated with the Class of 1965 and on May 29, 1965, she and Lee Ford were married at the Dunfee Christian Church.

For 30 years, she worked for North American Van Lines in Fort Wayne. In 1997, she and Lee moved to the Columbia City area. Cheryl had been a member of St. John's Lutheran Church, Lake Township in Allen County. While her children, Tamra, Laura and Sarah were growing up, she had been a Girl Scout Leader.

Even though Cheryl liked staying at her home, she also enjoyed traveling and visiting places like Las Vegas, the New England area, Florida, Michigan and visiting her family in Illinois. Out of everything that Cheryl did, she loved being with her family the most and adored her five grandchildren.

In her free time, she found relaxation in her flower gardens at her home which she was very proud of. She enjoyed watching the hummingbirds fly around her home and they enjoyed the feeders that she put out for them. While her children were growing up, she was a great seamstress, sewing many pajamas and Halloween costumes for her three girls.

At 3:35 p.m. on Saturday, July 21, 2018, Cheryl's family was forever changed when she passed away after a brief illness at Parkview Regional Medical Center in Fort Wayne at the age of 71. She is survived by her loving husband of 53 years, Lee Ford; daughters, Tamra (Jay) Minch, Laura Tomlinson and Sarah Cronin, all of Fort Wayne; father, Wendell Bowlin, of Sesser, Illinois; siblings, Kenny (Lou) Bowlin, of Sesser, Illinois, Relda (Sam) Guthrie, of Edgewood, Illinois, Gary (Jaxine) Bowlin, of Sesser, Illinois and Brian (MaLynda) Bowlin, of Valier, Illinois; and five grandchildren, Dakota Schaefer, Emma Schaefer, Kiana Minch, Darcy Cronin and Jesse Dillow. She was preceded in death by her mother, Doris Bowlin.

Visitation is 2-7 p.m. Wednesday, July 25, 2018 at DeMoney-Grimes, a Life Story Funeral Home, 600 Countryside Drive, Columbia City. Funeral services will be 10 a.m. Thursday at the funeral home with visitation one hour prior. Burial will follow at Riverview Cemetery. Memorial gifts may be given in her memory to St. John's Lutheran Church, Lake Township. Visit www.demoneygrimes.com to send her family condolences online.