Cheryl Harms Hauser
November 28, 1946 - June 2, 2023
Cheryl Harms Hauser, age 76, of Minnetonka, MN, passed away peacefully on June 2nd, 2023, surrounded by her loved ones. After years of struggling with Alzheimer’s, her life ended with dignity.
Cheryl began to spread her infectious light to the world from the day she was born on November 28, 1946, to Arthur and Helen Hauser, in St. Louis, Missouri. In her youth she lived in Manhasset, Long Island, with her beloved brother, Bill.
Her high school years were spent as a boarder at the Baldwin School in Philadelphia, before heading to Boston to attend Wheelock College, where she received her teaching degree. She then moved to New York where she became the director of the Park Avenue Day School. Children’s education was Cheryl’s professional passions. After moving to Minneapolis, she became the director of admissions at the Breck Lower School. Cheryl also taught at the Waldorf School and ran the daycare at Blooma Yoga Studio. She felt a soft connection with every child and became known as the “baby whisperer” to many.
Cheryl's loves in life were the cinema, walking the Camino de Santiago, "living room dancing" dancing to 70’s tunes, CBS Sunday Morning, Sacred Journey at HAUMC, popcorn and apples, and a splash of bourbon. Her joys were birthing and raising children, as well as numerous adventures with her husband, David.
Music played a prominent role in Cheryl's life. At a young age she began playing the piano, inspired by listening to her parents play on their two Steinway pianos. Later, she fell in love with playing handbells and was a member of the HAUMC bell choir for 38 years. As a member of Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church, she also made several mission trips to Africa, as well as being involved in community service locally.
After watching her brother, “Will Bill", suffer deeply over several years with Alzheimer’s, Cheryl decided that she would take a different path. When the time came that her quality of life was increasingly non-existent, she would choose to die in her own way, and would hasten death through the process of VSED, or Voluntarily Stop Eating and Drinking. This process allowed her to become an advocate and educator of end-of-life choices.
Exuberant, joyful and loving is an apt description for Cheryl. She had a big personality and people loved being around her. Cheryl's light will forever shine brightly. She positively touched so many lives.
Preceded in death by parents, Arthur and Helen Hauser; brother William Hauser. She will be deeply missed by husband, David McNally, sister-in-law Angell, children Wendy (Nick), Sarah (Todd) and Blake; stepchildren Sarah (Eric), Kate, Sean, Jessie and Beth; nephew Christopher; grandchildren, Emmett, Oliver, Beatrice, Metta, Blake Jr., Kenley, Evan, Sydney, Liam, Fynn, and many dear friends.
Memorial Service will be held on Tuesday, June 13th, at 1pm at Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church. In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to Compassion and Choices.
Events
Memorial Service
Tuesday, June 13, 2023
1 PM
