Cheryl Duncan
Age - 78
November 27, 2023
CHERYL LYNNE DUNCAN (nee Gorris), age 78, passed away on November 23, 2023. Beloved wife of William H. Duncan; loving mother of Charlene Duncan and the late Andrea Duncan; dear grandmother of Kinsey Duncan-Wilson; daughter of the late Bernard and Amalia Gorris. Cheryl Lynne Bernadette Veronica Gorris-Duncan, only 78 years young and 58 years married. The words "I love you" set her free this past Thanksgiving; she had passed away for thirty minutes and when the doctors checked on her pulse it came back. They say blood is thicker than water and she did not leave until her granddaughter Kinsey & daughter Charlene were there to say "I love you, then the monitor faded to black. As a little girl growing up, she attended Miles Park and Corlett Elementary Schools, she was a student banker in elementary school as her maternal grandma taught her about being a businesswoman. She used to get embarrassed when her grandma came to pick you up from school wearing her overalls after working hard that day, her grandma always drove her own car and paid in cash. The women in the family all learned from their entrepreneur grandma who was an orphan after her mother died and child servant in Czechoslovakia and was able to come to Cleveland, Ohio alone when her sister sent her money. Cheryl Gorris's parents met at TRW and married, when she was delivered, it was by a Navy Doctor while her father's ship just missed the bombing of Pearl Harbor, she always said her birth year ended WW II in 1945. Cheryl ran for Student Class President and had a group of her friends wear hats to rally for votes for her, even though not winning she seized the day, and never gave up. Cheryl played the clarinet in the school orchestra, after purchasing one from her cousin Adele Gorris who owned a music store in downtown Cleveland, and he played with Big Bands such as Tommy Dorsey and Benny Goodman. Cheryl took modern dance in school and sang in choir and always helped with her cousin Georgene's musical group "The Cokettes" aka "The Coquettes" when they performed at "The May Company" in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. She remembered how Pete Lee the group's manager gave her free Coca-Cola at May Company downtown when she was a roadie for her cousin's group. She even met Johnny Mathis when her cousin was performing with him at shows. Later Cheryl attended "Nathan Hale Junior High" and "John Adams High School in Cleveland, Ohio. While in high school she worked at the "Independent Steel Company" working as a secretary and bookkeeper part-time. After high school graduation she attended "Vogue Beauty Academy" and was a licensed cosmetologist. Though she loved artwork and was offered several scholarships to the Cleveland Institute of Art, she did not pursue this. But always painted, drew, did plaster crafts, sewed, interior designed, and did crafts all her life. She worked as a manager in several beauty salons such as: Santilli's Beauty Salon, Biagia's Beauty Salon, Downtown - Sterling Linder Davis Department Store in Wigs, in which she always made the department store window display of wigs very beautiful for all holidays with her artistic talents of art and styling hair. Her cousin Alice was a cosmetologist who used to color Dorothy Fuldheim's hair of WEWS TV 5. Cheryl and Alice (Cosmetologists) had many great times together. It was in the 1960's, the Hough Riots were taking place in Cleveland, Ohio, Cheryl's cousin Sister Henrietta, CSA was revitalizing the area by providing food, clothing, education, employment, health care, and housing for the residents in the burned down area. Cheryl would help with her father Bernard with Sister Henrietta's efforts at fundraising and food missions. The British Invasion had taken place and William H. Duncan had attracted Cheryl's heart in high school, he lived just around the corner from her home, and he was from Liverpool, England. A matter of fact he was friends with the Beatles Original drummer Pete Best's little brother Rory in the UK. William would come over to eat with her family and his sister Joyce walked the family bulldog Shiba, while his sister Rita was in movies and pageants. Cheryl married William at "Epiphany Catholic Church" on October 22, 1965, by Father DiNardo, who later would save William's life after a motorcycle accident where he witnessed the bike fall apart and put his sweater under his head while William was pronounced dead and came back. Fate let him live for Cheryl and her newborn baby daughter Charlene. Cheryl was a great cook from spaghetti to English Oxo Bullion Stew, though she could not compete with her mother-in-law from England, in tea making. There were ups and downs as always in marriage, but she always stayed true to William. She always quoted, that she followed the ten commandments, did not drink, smoke, or take drugs. Cheryl over the years attended training advanced courses in hair loss and restoration in Fort Lauderdale, and the annual International Hair Conference in 1992. She started her own business called "Global Wigs" calling manufacturers from around the world for different products, plus helping the elderly and cancer patients and children with wigs. Her younger daughter Andrea went to a COSE meetings, with her to help start the wig business while still in high school. Cheryl put smiles on patient's faces when they had their outer beauty returned once again by having a wig, it made Cheryl's day brighter. Cheryl also was certified with "H & R Block Income Tax" and received her "Real Estate License from the State of Ohio" after completing course work from "Hondros College. " Cheryl was an avid learner taking several computer classes and was tech savvy. She was a member of "St. Leo the Great Catholic Church" and would host meetings at her home. She also was the best mother and homemaker with helping both of her daughters Charlene and Andrea with school homework, art projects, theater, fashion shows, art shows, modeling, pageants, music lessons & shows, gingerbread cookie baking, homemade pumpkin pies, Girl Scouts, and the Singing Angels. She helped sell Avon Products, Homemade Crafts, and bakery. Cheryl worked at the "May Company Store" in Parma & North Olmsted as the Manager of Wigs and Millinery (Hats). She worked at the Parma Kaufmann's Department Store in the Men's Department too. The year of 1994 was a tragic year, for Cheryl lost her twenty-year-old daughter and mother Amalia in an electrical fire house fire, her mother just came to live with her after a hip replacement and her daughter Andrea, 20 years old, and family cats perished in the fire. Her husband William and self-survived the fire, and her daughter Charlene who was not living at the home at the time. Her heart was always broken after losing her daughter Andrea and her mother. They are reunited in heaven without tears, pain, or hurt anymore, since Cheryl's death this past Thanksgiving. For Cheryl's life was to rebuild her life after the tragedy and to help her older daughter Charlene, by helping her career aspirations, graduate school, and to be there for her husband William. Her light of life was her wiener dog called "Lord Lucky Schnitzel" in which he adored her like her childhood Daishaun'd Mitzie growing up. Though no one could compete with her only grandchild and granddaughter - Kinsey Duncan-Wilson she loved unconditionally. She always had gifts for Kinsey and sent her to Walt Disney World for her 7th Birthday and helped with her extracurricular activities. Though her grand puppy Rose Doge loved watching Hallmark Channel Shows by her side & family cats Mittens, Julian, Sprinkles, Hello Kitty, and Angela kitties loved her too. She was the biggest fan of her older daughter when she worked in radio overnight and went out into her car to hear her on WNCO AM/FM Radio to get a clear signal. Her favorite news channel was FOX 8 News where her daughter worked on the assignment desk, she cried with her daughter when the planes hit the Twin Towers, and when Princess Diana passed away. Cheryl operated video cameras in Europe for her daughter when she was manager at Amherst City Cable for a television special featuring the Singing Angels. Cheryl always had a lot of adventures through her daughter and show business and her daughter's teaching school students too. She even had barbeques in back yard for out of state film crews and jam sessions in her living room with musicians at her home. She always bragged of both her daughters and granddaughter's accomplishments in school and extracurriculars. The last few years have been rough on Cheryl's health, she never gave up and she will be looking down at her granddaughter graduating from college as her guardian angel. Cheryl loved animals and supported charities to help them and will always have love in heart for people. Nothing mattered to Cheryl than "I Love You's. " She will be greatly missed by her husband, daughter, granddaughter, family pets, and friends. Friends may call at THE FERFOLIA FUNERAL HOME, 356 WEST AURORA RD. (OH RT 82), SAGAMORE HILLS FOR VISITATION ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2023 FROM 4-7 P. M. Funeral Wednesday, November 29, 2023 at 8:45 a. m. at the funeral home. Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00 a. m. at St. Leo the Great Catholic Church. Entombment Brooklyn Heights Cemetery.
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