Cheryl P. Woodard (65) of Effingham

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Published on April 30 2018 9:39 am

Cheryl P. Woodard, 65, of Effingham, IL, passed away peacefully surrounded by family and friends at 10:00 a.m. Sunday, April 29, 2018 at HSHS St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital in Effingham, IL.

Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, May 2 at Johnson Funeral Home in Effingham. Burial will be in Oak Ridge Cemetery in Effingham. Visitation will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Tuesday.

Memorials may be made in loving memory of Cheryl to St. Anthony Schools or Sacred Heart School. Online condolences may be shared by clicking here.

Cheryl was born on June 17, 1952, in Effingham, IL, the daughter of Wayne and Mary (Tarrant) Vonderheide. She was united in marriage to James “Jim” Vahling on March 17, 1972 and to this union were born two children: Jason and Kara. He preceded her in death on August 16, 1996. She then married Charles H. “Chuck” Woodard on October 9, 2004.

Cheryl graduated from Stewardson-Strasburg High School in 1970 and then attended Lake Lane College where she earned her LPN certificate. She started working as a Candy Striper at St. Anthony Hospital at the age of 16. She continued her nursing career there for 43 years touching the lives of thousands. Cheryl enjoyed baking, playing cards, and having long talks with her grandchildren. She loved spending time in her garden tending to her many flowers and watching the birds from her screened-in porch. She enjoyed sunbathing with a good book on the beach in Alabama. Cheryl especially liked the many shopping trips with “the girls”.

Cheryl is survived by her husband, Chuck Woodard of Effingham; son, Jason (Debbie) Vahling of Effingham; daughter, Kara (Jon) Budde of Watson; step-son, Brett Woodard of Las Vegas, NV; parents, Wayne and Mary Vonderheide of Stewardson; grandchildren, Katie and Colten Vahling, Camden and Carly Budde, and Will Woodard; siblings, Dale (Bonnie) Vonderheide of Strasburg, Brent (Michele) Vonderheide of Shumway, Christine Solis (Gary Collins) of Galveston, TX, Larry (Becky) Vonderheide of Stewardson, and Joe Vonderheide of Stewardson; sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law, Susan Jackson of Effingham, Larry (Kay) Vahling of Kissimmee, FL, Mary Ann McClanahan of Pekin, Judy Vahling of Teutopolis, Cheryl Vahling (Bill Lopopko) of Peoria, and Gary (Lisa) Vahling of Teutopolis; and special friends, “The Girls from Work”.

She was preceded in death her grandparents; brother, Danny Vonderheide at birth; husband, Jim Vahling; and brothers-in-law, John Vahling and Carl Jackson.