Cheryl Crank Obituary

Cheryl Lynn Crank of Grimes, Iowa died on September 12th, 2023 at the age of 65, but her larger-than-life presence will not be forgotten.

Cheri, as she was known by most, was born in Sioux City, Iowa to Howard and JoAnn Crank. She entered the world on June 10, 1958 - not 1976 as she claimed on Facebook. That was actually the year she graduated from Des Moines Technical High School, where she was a cheerleader and a member of the tennis team. In the years following school, she got married to Kevin Kingery and gave birth to their only son, Kevin, Jr. The marriage ended shortly thereafter.

As a single mom, Cheri raised her son, worked full-time, and put herself through college. She also managed to find Jesus along the way - a relationship she never failed to share with others. In 1991, she graduated from Iowa State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, and spent her career as a staff accountant and independent contractor.

When she wasn’t bean-counting, Cheri spent her time quilting, worshipping the Lord, and picking on her family - not necessarily in that order. Cheri’s sense of humor was one of her best assets. She always joked that the only thing we’d inherit when she was gone was her fabric. So. Much. Fabric. (Seriously, anybody need a couple yards?)

Cheri’s relationship with God was paramount to her. She praised and worshipped Him in numerous churches over the years, and sometimes no church at all. But always a faithful believer, she leaned on Him during the good times, as well as the more trying times (and there were many) in her life.

Some things you may not know about Cheri - she made the best Thanksgiving stuffing but hated the taste of it. Christmas was her favorite holiday, but she often gave us sewed gifts that weren’t quite finished in time. She loved her Amazon delivery guy, peachy iced tea, and marathoning Hallmark movies. She never met a carb she didn’t like, especially her little sister’s mashed potatoes. She disliked raspberries, Guns n’ Roses, and birds of any kind (Thanks, Alfred Hitchcock!). If the Commodores started belting out “Brickhouse”, she was up and dancing. Nobody made better beef and noodles, and Anderson Erickson should sponsor her funeral to pay her back for all the eggnog she drank at the holidays.

Cheri’s heart was the best thing about her. She loved unconditionally, completely, and unquestionably until the very end. It should be no surprise that her giant heart is what ultimately took her life. If Cheri knew you, she prayed for you. She rooted for you. And she loved you. She always talked so much about the blessings in her life, but in truth, we were the lucky ones.

While Cheri is on her way to greet loved ones who’ve gone before her (her parents, her grandson Alex, and her sweet dog Jayme), those of us left behind will mourn her greatly: her son Kevin Kingery, Jr., grandson Jordan Kingery, brother Tim (Cindy) Crank, sister Melanie (Nathan) Samples; nephews Michael (Alison) Crank, Dan (Anna) Crank, Sean Newcomb, Calvin Newcomb, and nieces Sarah Crank and Bethany Brewer-Samples; great-nephews Derek and Korbin Crank, Weston, Wyatt, Waylon and Wells Crank, and great-nieces Viviana Mongan and Lily Crusan; and lastly, her precious fur babies, Ireland and Jameson.

Cheri’s visitation will be held from 12:00-2:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 21, 2023 at Iles-Westover Funeral Home in Des Moines, IA. Her funeral will begin at 2:00 p.m., provided Cheri isn’t late for the service, which, if you knew her, you’d know this is a very real possibility. Please wear BRIGHT colors or FLORAL patterns to commemorate her love of color!

A brief graveside service will be held following the funeral at Sunny Hill Cemetery in Grimes, IA. Friends and family are invited to celebrate her life by sharing stories, laughs, and a good meal (‘cause that’s what we do) at The Main Street Venue, 321 SE Main Street, Grimes, IA.

Cheryl's service will be livestreamed on the Iles website. Go to www.ilescares.com just before 2:00pm Thursday and scroll to the bottom of Cheryl's obituary for the link to join the service.

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