Obituaries : Cheryl Jane (Carlson) Dickerson

Cheryl Jane (Carlson) Dickerson, 83, of Marion, Iowa, went home to be with her Lord and Savior on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023, at St. Luke's Hospital in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. In agreement with her wishes, cremation has taken place. A Celebration of Life will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 21, at the Marion Methodist Church, located at 5050 Rec Dr., in Marion, where a visitation will be held from 9 a.m. until service time. Committal services will be held at a later date at Evergreen Cemetery in Vinton, Iowa.

Cheryl was born on March 14, 1940, to George and Dorothy Carlson in Vinton, Iowa. Cheryl and her mother lived with Cheryl's maternal grandparents, Oscar and Esther Prescott, while her dad served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Following the war, the family moved to Garrison, Iowa, where her favorite little brother, Chuck, was born. In 1956, they returned to Vinton where Cheryl graduated high school in 1958. She then attended the University of Iowa, earning a degree in elementary education.

She married the love of her life, Jim Dickerson, in 1965 in her parents' home. Their marriage was one of a kind, filled with the deepest love, compassion, sense of humor and strong faith. They were so in love for their nearly 58 years together that most were in awe. Jim and Cheryl became proud parents of Charles "Chip" and Cynthia "Cindy," residing in Marion, where Cheryl chose to be a stay-at-home mom until accepting a first grade teaching position in the Linn-Mar School District, retiring in 1997.

Cheryl was very active throughout her 83 years. She was a member of the Garrison Girls Basketball team, The Garrison Rockettes, including playing in the 1956 Iowa Girls State Basketball Tournament, in which they finished as runners-up. While at the University of Iowa, she played drums as a member of the university's Scottish Highlanders and later played tennis and golf with Jim and friends. As a parent of two Linn-Mar students, she attended numerous Linn-Mar activities and was a member of the Linn-Mar Booster Club. She was also a member of T.T.T. Cheryl had a strong passion for the Iowa Hawkeyes, sometimes having to leave the room if a game became too close. She loved playing cards, especially Bridge and Cribbage, and enjoyed finishing - aka correcting - Jim's daily crossword puzzles. She had a remarkable sense of humor and was blessed with laughing every day at most of Jim's jokes.

The driving force during most of her life was spiritual. She attended many church activities and was a part of many Bible study groups. Cheryl was a lifelong Methodist and a member of the Marion Methodist Church for over 50 years, in addition to being a member of the First United Methodist Church of Altoona, Iowa from 2010 to 2020. Over the years, she served on many church committees and had the privilege of being a Sunday school teacher to kids of all ages, including adults. Later, she served as adult director of Christian Education. Cheryl had come to know Jesus as her Risen Savior at the age of 40 and wanted everyone to have the peace and joy of knowing Him too. It was her strong faith, along with the support, love, and prayers that others offered, that helped Cheryl remain positive during her courageous battle against cancer and the effects of treatment, until her body could no longer continue that fight. On Sept. 26, 2023, surrounded by immediate and "extended" family, she was lifted by the hands of her Lord to join her family in Heaven.

Cheryl is survived and lovingly remembered by her husband, Jim; daughter, Cindy (Chris) Miller; two grandsons, Riley and Tyler; brother and sister-in-law, Chuck and Kris Carlson; special cousins, Mary (Bob) Rozinek and Ron Prescott; two nephews; one niece; and their children. In addition, she is survived by the people she referred to as her extended family-church members, teacher friends, previous students, the old neighborhood bunch and so many more.

She was preceded in death by her parents and a son, Chip.

In lieu of flowers, memorials in Cheryl's memory may be directed to the Marion Methodist Church to be forwarded to Summer Games University.