By Chris Hagan
Review Staff Writer
On Sunday, June 14, Cheryl and her husband, Brian, started their day like any normal day. It was a special one because it was the Grand Opening for the new fire station in Orion where Brian works full-time.
They gathered their two kids, Braden, 5, and Cailyn, 9, and went to the station. The children climbed through the trucks and enjoyed the company of other kids, families, and fellow firefighters that were at the station.
Unfortunately, that night everything would change.
Suddenly, Cheryl suffered a seizure. During the seizure her breathing faded and her heart stopped.
Brian began CPR and his fellow firefighters on the department rushed to his home doing everything they could to revive Cheryl.
She was immediately transported to a nearby hospital where every attempt was made to save her. Unfortunately, she passed away the evening of June 14 at 36 years-old.
She was a devoted mother, loving wife, and passionate first-grade teacher at Holy Family Regional School in Rochester. News of her death began circulating through text messages and Facebook posts.
Several days later HFRS hosted a memorial that was crowded with her former students, parents, and coworkers.
The school posted a heartfelt report on their Facebook page:
‘We celebrated our Memorial Service this afternoon surrounded by much love from the Holy Family community. We prayed together, sang songs, heard about Mrs. Reynolds favorite things and did exactly what she would have wanted us to do…Dance! The sun was shining and we know Mrs. Reynolds was smiling down from heaven. Her family was with us to celebrate her life and we presented her children with Bibles and bears from Holy Family. It was a special time for a very special teacher and friend.?
According to those closest to Cheryl, she epitomized what a kind and caring person is. . She enjoyed music, dancing, and had a keen affinity for St. Bernard dogs.
Shortly before her funeral on Monday, the skies were dark and stormy but just as members of St. Andrew’s Catholic Church began to sing, the skies began to clear. The sun shined as hundreds held back tears listening to peaceful eulogies of Cheryl’s life. Many of her students attended the funeral and joined hands in a large circle around her casket, singing and celebrating her life.
Neighbor and friend, Cara Raske told the Oakland Press that Cheryl was ‘very fun, vibrant and full of life.?
‘She would remember kids? names as they came down the hall,? she said. ‘She was a very giving and caring person.?
Her ability to reach people and care for them was realized as hundreds took to social media to promote an online fundraising campaign aimed at securing funds for Brian and their two kids. In a matter of days the campaign surpassed $25,000 and currently sits just shy of $35,000.
The Orion Fire Department has taken up an internal collection and pitched in to aid Brian.
She’s survived by Brian, her two children, parents William and Phyllis Freymuth; and brother, William Freymuth.