Celebration of Life slideshow

— thank you, Aunt Bonnie, for your labor of LOVE! ♥️

Tribute by Susan Wheeler, shared during my Mom's celebration of Life:

I honor and bless my mom, Cherylee Ann Berge Hamilton

Daughter of Kurt and Arlene Berge. Of seven children, she was the second born. The oldest girl. Mother of three. Grandmother of ten. Great-grandmother of seven.

I’m Susan Wheeler, Cherylee’s youngest daughter. I didn’t think an introduction was necessary; either you are family or you heard about me through my mom's stories. She was the best storyteller, right?! Through the years, my mother and I shared many adventures. Some were good. Some were challenging. Overall, we shared a lot of laughter and interesting shenanigans. She brought a lot of joy, and oh! do I miss her!

Since the 22nd of June, Ann Marie, Wendy, and I have been experiencing life without our mom. We've reflected on our past, gained new understandings and insights, and have come together in a way that would've made her proud. Our mom gave the three of us the freedom to live our own lives. And she loved us--as is. As we are. She did not try to change us. Looking back, I think my sisters would agree, having our mom, as our Mom, is exactly what we needed.

Throughout her life, she encouraged others to keep learning and growing. She loved books. She might have given you a book, suggested a book or perhaps read a story to you. When she traveled, especially with her grandchildren, she thought it was important to know which direction you were heading—north, south, east, or west. She often came up with a math problem to solve. She might quiz you at any moment; you just never knew what she might ask. She intended to help, to be better prepared for future tricky situations.

Our mother, in queen-like fashion, was drawn to the luxuries of life that touched all of the senses: a comfortable bed with quality sheets, lovely fresh flowers, fragrant lotions and oils, delicious food, expensive cherries, getting her own massages, travel experiences, big fancy hats, and beautiful music. Thanks to friends and to Amazon, many of those "treats" were delivered right to her front door. She appreciated a beautifully set table, sunsets over the ocean, and the serene beauty of the lake shore.

She was independent. Generous. Fearless. Adventurous. A healer. A truth seeker. A loyal friend. She believed the best in others. She desired to engage people, yet not everyone appreciated her unique, yet loving, yearning for connection. And boy! could she be stubborn. If her mind was made up, that was it. I can imagine we've all experienced a little of her passionate side, because she cared a lot. Her smile was unforgettable. Her laugh was infectious. She loved butterflies.

The atmosphere changed when she arrived; when she showed up, you knew it. And YES! when she showed up, she was there. She was present; unhurried. There was no other place she'd rather be. When she showed up, she was completely with you. Our mother excelled in showing up.

My mom loved to talk. Talking, just might've been her favorite pastime. You could either see or hear her just light up and if you were with her, her eyes even sparkled. On the phone or in-person, she just loved to visit with friends and family, near and far. You might have even been one of her special clients who regularly asked for an update on her most recent events. She truly loved sharing her life, her family, her passions with others.

As we navigate life without our personal "Cherylee", may we be inspired to:

      Get up. Do your best.

      Treat yourself.

      Surround yourself with beautiful things. Rest. Be generous.

      Listen closely for the song of the whippoorwill.

      Have a sense of humor, especially about yourself.

      And show up... even if you're going to be late.

Thanks mom, you made it!

Tribute by Wendy Moe, shared during my Mom’s Celebration of Life:

Hello Lovely Family and Beautiful Friends, as we remember my mom, Cherylee, I would like to share a little-known fact—her deep love for the book *The Velveteen Rabbit* by Margery Williams. This book held a special place in her heart, and she read it to her 3 daughters many times throughout our lives, often with tears streaming down her face. The story touched my mom in a profound way that I didn’t fully understand until recently.

My sister Susan discovered an article that highlights the life lessons of *The Velveteen Rabbit*, and it helped me understand why this classic children’s story resonated so deeply with our mother.

The life lessons it imparts are timeless and maybe you too can see why these themes touched my mom to her core.

1. The importance of resilience.

2. It’s okay to feel sad.

3. Healthy relationships take work.

4. Be authentic to your true self.

5. Embrace self-acceptance. AND

6. Love IS the most important thing.

Deep down, all our mother wanted was to be loved. And if we’re honest, don’t we all want to be loved? Cherylee had many passions and quirks, strengths, and weaknesses. She would often meet someone new and suddenly just start massaging them on the spot. Like turn someone around and start massaging their shoulders or grab their hand. It was refreshing to some, and at other times it could be a little awkward. And if we’re honest, aren’t we all refreshing to some and a little awkward to others?

Within days of meeting my then-boyfriend, now-husband Michael, he found himself naked on her massage table, receiving a massage—covered only by a thin white sheet. Nothing odd there! Massaging was one of the ways she showed love. Another way she showed love was with her generosity. She once sent me 27 lotions when I ordered only 3—because who couldn’t use 24 extra travel-sized lotions? My mom loved to be generous, many times to a fault. I have heard some people say, “she would have given the shirt off her back.” This was so true. Cherylee loved delicious food and conversations, telling stories, massaging and her friends.

Her love for her family, her joy in her grandchildren, her enthusiasm for travel and adventures, and her dedication to helping people through her work defined for her a meaningful life.

Let us carry forward the life lessons that resonated so deeply with my mom and embody them in our own lives. Let us face life’s challenges with grit and resilience. Let us invest in the relationships that matter, nourishing them with our time and attention. Let us be authentically ourselves and allow others to do the same. Let us remember that it’s okay to feel sad, for sadness is part of the human experience. And let us accept our perfect imperfections, knowing that they are what make us beautifully unique.

As we move through life, if we ever find ourselves focusing only on someone’s quirks or weaknesses, let us zoom out and see the whole person—see also their strengths, passions, and their desire, like all of us, to be loved. Because in the end, that is what life is truly about: seeing others through the eyes of love, embracing them as they are, and understanding that we are all here to learn how to love one another. Love: it is what connects us, heals us, and gives our lives meaning. LOVE is, by far, the most important thing.

Tribute by Ann Marie Fallon, shared during my Mom’s Celebration of Life:

Thank you all for coming together today to celebrate the life of Cherylee Ann Berge Hamilton.

My mom. Our mom. Your friend. Your massage therapist. Your sister. Your grandma. Your great-grandma. Your mother-in-law. Your sister-in-law. Your aunt. Your cousin.

Our mother navigated life with all of its ups and downs to the best of her ability. She was strong-willed. She was not predictable. She was not someone to "figure out". She was unique. Our Mom seemed to be on an adventure of some sort.

My Mom would recall her annual travels to Florida: and talk about The Strawberry Festival, the Bok Tower, and the Detroit Tiger's spring training. Over the years, I really didn't understand why she continued to go to Florida to visit those places. But after she died, I learned that she use to go there with her parents, and when her mom died, she continued to take those trips with her dad. Even after he passed away, those adventures continued. Her time there brought back treasured memories, and created new ones.

Another one of those things that didn't make much sense to me was this Somewhere in Time event on Mackinac Island. A little history. My fifth-grade class went to Mackinac Island as the movie Somewhere in Time was being filmed, and my Mom was a chaperone. The movie starred Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour. It didn't do too well at the Box Office, but like the title of the movie suggests, a majority of the movie takes place in an earlier time-period, Somewhere in Time, set in the early 1900s.

The Somewhere in Time event on Mackinac Island became one of her favorite destinations. Year after year, she would not only tell stories about her trip, but she would make the yearly invitation to join her. Wearing these extravagant outfits, playing dress-up; it was all kind-of-weird to me.

Then, one year, even though this wasn't my thing, I went because of our mother's enthusiasm. She really was a good storyteller and salesperson. I was able to share in an experience that brought her a lot of joy.

The event highlighted her taste in the finer things, as well as her interesting and unique personality. If you're wondering what's with the hats?, "Somewhere in Time" has a lot to do with it.

A few months ago, in May, we took her to Mackinac Island. She specifically made a request to have tea there. Like just have a tea-time experience. She also wanted to have lunch at the Grand Hotel. Even though she had limited energy, we made it to lunch, but tea-time would have to wait.

I am pleased to tell you that tea-time has been rescheduled for today. When we conclude here, please make your way to the dining hall to enjoy tea-time together, with plenty of refreshments and conversation.

The Mackinac Bridge Walk was another repeated adventure. She loved participating in this event and she regularly communicated her open invitation. I am thrilled that my first Bridge Walk will be tomorrow and I hope to make space for it in the years to come, to walk "the mighty Mac" in loving memory of our mother. You are welcome to join us: tomorrow or perhaps sometime in the future.

Volunteering at Camp Daniel was another one of those experiences she frequently talked about. Camp Daniel offers people with disabilities access to a safe and fun camping experience, where the physical, social, and spiritual needs are lovingly met.

Before Camp Daniel, I knew it as Camp Chicagami, on Little Lake Newton. It was a summer-camp family-tradition for our mom, for our aunts and uncles, as well as for my sisters and me.

At Camp Daniel, our mother served campers with disabilities for many summers. She offered what she could; her passion and her time. She also invited others to join the cause. Through her insistence, key connections were formed. Camp Daniel was positively impacted by our Mom. And our mother was positively impacted by Camp Daniel.

I'd like to suggest Camp Daniel as a worthy cause to invest in. Our Camp Daniel family would be happy to give you a tour before you leave today.

Throughout our Mom's life, yes, she pursued various physical and social adventures. Yet foundationally, she was on a learning-journey. A learning journey of faith in the Most High God and a learning-journey of love.

Our mother desired love: to be loved. And she desired to love.

She navigated her life to the best of her ability. She experienced the amazing, and the awful, and through it all, she trusted her Creator and the Son that He sent.

I'll close with a poem by L.R. Knost that our Mom loved:

Life is amazing.

And then it's awful.

And then it's amazing again.

And in between the amazing and the awful,

it's ordinary and mundane and routine.

Breathe in the amazing,

hold on through the awful,

and relax and exhale during the ordinary.

That's just living

heart-breaking, soul-healing,

amazing, awful, ordinary life.

And it's breathtakingly beautiful.