Cheryl Ann (Zurnieden) Foss

Passed away unexpectedly at her home on January 15th 2021.

She is preceded in death by her sons, Ryan and Kyle Foss. Parents, Carole and Herbert Zurnieden. Her in-laws, Roger and Maxine Foss and her brother in law Curt Foss.

Cheryl (Cheri) was born August 14th, 1953 in Cut Bank, Montana.  She was united in marriage to Grady Foss in 1974 and together they had three sons.

Cheri and Grady welcomed their first born son, Ryan in 1980 and in 1981,they were blessed with another son, Kelley. 

Shortly after Kelley was born, Cheri and Grady’s son, Ryan died unexpectedly at the age of 16 months. 

In 1984, Grady and Cheri were blessed with yet another son, Kyle. 

Together the four of them lived in Elk River for seven years. They then moved north to a farm in Zimmerman which Cheri affectionately named Moon Meadow Farm. At that time, the Foss’s also began building a cabin in Osage, MN. In true Foss fashion neither home has reached completion.

Grady and Cheri enjoyed spending their weekends at the lake home with their boys and friends. 

As Kelley and Kyle grew, their interest in various activities increased and Cheri was happy to be part of her son’s lives. She was at every practice and game and this often meant a lot of travel with a lot of teenage boys. This dedication is not lost on her son Kelley, who fondly recalls his mother being his number one supporter in whatever interest he pursued.

In December 2001, Cheri, Grady and Kelley lost Kyle (18) in a tragic car accident. At this time Cheri threw herself into her artistic and creative abilities as she grieved the loss of another son.

In 2008, Cheri’s son, Kelley, married Rachel and the Lord blessed them with two girls, Piper and Reagan. Cheri finally had her girls….Cheri loved to share her artistic talents with her granddaughters. Both Piper and Reagan looked forward to spending their Sunday afternoons tucked away in Cheri’s art studio learning from the best. After Cheri died, Piper said, “ I didn’t even know what her favorite color was” ……….and Reagan replied, “that’s because she loved all colors.”

Grady and Cheri enjoyed traveling, camping and boating on the river. One of Cheri’s favorite trips was when her and Grady loaded up the truck, camper and two four wheelers to head to Montana to find Cheri’s biological father’s family. Grady warmly recalls this as a real highlight in their travels together.

Cheri cared for everyone else more than she cared for herself.  Cheri  had the ability of making friends wherever she went.  She loved to talk, she loved to hear people's stories. 

To her friends, thank you for loving her as we did.  You were very important to her. 

Thank you, Lori Pouti. You are a treasure. You took care of your dear friend and for that we are forever grateful. 

Grady and Kelley on a day when you are feeling sad, remember that she will always be with you and that every ray of sunshine is a little piece of her.

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