Cheryl Fae Nath, age 70, of Luverne, Minnesota, died on Sunday, January 28, 2024, at the Sanford Luverne Medical Center.
Visitation was Thursday, February 1, from 4-7 p.m. and the funeral service was Friday, February 2, at 10:30 a.m., both at Hartquist Funeral Home in Luverne. Burial was at Maplewood Cemetery in Luverne. Arrangements are under the care of Hartquist Funeral Home. To sign an online registry, please visit www.hartquistfuneral.com.
Cheryl Fae Nath was born on May 13, 1953, to Robert and Eva Lou (Lafrentz) Rolph in Luverne, Minnesota. Growing up, Cheryl had childhood epilepsy after falling off the rail at the Carnegie Library. As a child she loved reading, biking to the Blue Mounds State Park, and hiking. She was especially close to her great-grandmother, Agnes Kiebach-Staeffler. Cheryl, her mother, and Agnes loved doing art, cross-stitching, and cooking. Cheryl was very proud of her German heritage and loved making futjes. The Rolph family would often camp at a resort in Northern Minnesota and later, when her older sister married, enjoyed summer visits to Georgia.
During high school, Cheryl earned money by serving at Tastee-freez. She graduated from Luverne High School in 1971. She continued her education at Minneapolis Community College and studied to be a lab technician. During her time in the cities, she served in a nursing home kitchen, and on her return to the Luverne area, she worked in the Sioux Valley Hospital kitchen in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
On December 22, 1976, Cheryl married the love of her life, Larry Nath, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Larry was already in the Marine Corps for five years before their marriage. They spent the next several years (1976-1991) stationed at Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina, and in Okinawa, Japan. They returned to Luverne in 1991.
Cheryl was blessed to be a homemaker from 1976 to 1994. In 1994 she began her career as a paraprofessional which she did until her semi-retirement in August 2014. She continued to work part time as a kitchen staff at Luverne High School and as a card stocker for American Greeting. After a short battle with pancreatic cancer, Cheryl passed away peacefully at the Sanford Luverne Medical Center in Luverne on Sunday, January 28, 2024, at the age of 70 years, 8 months, and 15 days.
Cheryl was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Brandon, South Dakota. She enjoyed serving in various positions in the children’s and women’s organizations in her church. For many years, she was the camp cook at the young women’s summer camp. She also served as a missionary at the Mormon Trail Center from 2014-2015 and a church missionary at the Salt Lake City, Utah Family Search Library. Cheryl volunteered at the Rock County Historical Society, working to archive records. She enjoyed making quilts at Grace Lutheran Church, attending Bible study classes, and volunteering at Redeemed Remnants. She was also involved in Green Earth Players productions.
Cheryl loved family history and genealogy. It was her passion. Every morning she would wake up between 4-5 a.m. to research family history for an hour or two. She was an avid reader her entire life and she loved getting stacks of books from the thrift store or library. Her favorite books to read were gospel-related books; she really enjoyed studying the gospel. She also enjoyed the swimming classes at the Luverne Aquatic Center. Being a wonderful homemaker, she enjoyed cooking for her family, gardening, canning, breadmaking, and colorful decorating.
She will be remembered for her large book collection. She loved board and card games. She and Larry played two games of Pinochle every day for many years up until she passed away. Score was kept, but five minutes after the games, it was forgotten. She also enjoyed working on arts and crafts, especially pour painting. She was able to share many of her paintings in open class at the county fair. As an artist she loved color. If it were up to Larry, their house would be white, but she painted the rooms blue, rainbow, and decorated with all kinds of fun knickknacks.
After living in Okinawa, she developed a love for Japanese culture. When she moved back to Luverne, she would visit her children’s classrooms to share stories about Japan. She loved her grandchildren. She was kind and gentle with everyone, but especially with her grandchildren, and they loved her in return. She was always available to attend her grandchildren’s special events. She will be dearly missed.
Left to honor her memory are her husband, Larry Nath of Luverne; children, Joshua (Julie-Alice) Nath of Luverne, Jeremiah Nath of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Jennifer Nath of North Pole, Alaska, Joseph (Priscilla) Nath of Luverne, Jonathan Nath of Magnolia, Minnesota, and Jacob Nath of Minneapolis, Minnesota; 10 grandchildren, Marie, Elaine, Aaron, Zachary, Luke, Brittney, Brandi, Frederick, Ezra, and Benjamin; sister, Patricia Rolph of Auburn, Washington; and many nieces nephews, cousins, in-laws, dear friends, and family both near and far away.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Robert and Eva Lou Rolph; and sister Jerallee Kurasaka.
Memorials may be directed to the American Cancer Society.