Cheryl Lynn Donnellan

Cheryl Lynn Donnellan (nee Vroegh), 63, passed away peacefully October 16, 2019. She was born in South Holland, Illinois, a suburb on the south side of Chicago that was rich in her Dutch heritage of which she was so proud. Her family moved to Fort Lauderdale in 1969 when she became a permanent resident. Upon graduating from Fort Lauderdale Christian Academy, she continued her education at Broward College, while at the same time working in the banking and legal professions. She continued her career as a real estate broker and she was the first and an extremely valued employee of Coen and Bates, a successful real estate brokerage firm. She was a loving wife to her husband, Dave whom she met while travelling on an airplane to South Florida, when both were returning from visiting their hometown of Chicago. She was married to her best friend and love of her life for 35 years. She was a devoted wife, mother, daughter, grandmother, sister, and sister-in-law. She was an avid reader who had an incessant thirst for knowledge. She will be most remembered for her outgoing, kind, engaging and compassionate personality that greatly impacted everyone she encountered, allowing her to develop meaningful relationships with countless people who considered her a friend. She had a magical way of interacting with everyone, including total strangers, looking for the good in every person she met. She always tried to make everyone feel valued and important and she left a lasting impression on everyone she touched. She believed that a smile was a free gift she could offer to anyone she met. Her devotion to her faith and family and her amazingly positive attitude never wavered despite her many medical challenges that began when she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma as a young teenager. Cheryl is survived by her husband, David; daughters, Katherine and Kerry; grandchildren, Kai and Payten; her mother, Grace DeBoer; and her brothers, Sidney (Vickie) and Jerry. Cheryl was predeceased by her father, Garrett Vroegh Jr.; her stepfather, Sidney Deboer; and her brother, Garry Vroegh. Cheryl will be deeply missed by many but will forever be in our hearts. Friends will be welcomed on Thursday October 24, 2019, from 4:00-7:00 pm at Baird-Case Jordan Fannin Funeral Home, 4343 N Federal Highway, Ft Lauderdale. A Memorial Service will be held on Friday, October 25, 2019 at 11:00 am at Christ Church Methodist, 4845 NE 25th Ave, Fort Lauderdale.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Foundation at https://www.jdch.com/about/foundation/give/donate in recognition of Cheryl’s soft heart for children faced with left-threatening medical challenges similar to her.
www.baird-casefh.com

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Cheryl Lynn Donnellan, please visit our floral store.