Cheryl L. Jurgens

1953-2015

Cheryl Lee Jurgens passed away Thursday, March 19, 2015, at her home in Lewiston, after a three-and-a-half-year battle with ovarian cancer.

She was born Cheryl Lee Valentine on Jan. 15, 1953, in South Bend, Ind., to Donald George and Evelyn Marie (Paschke) Valentine. Her father worked for various companies as an engineer, and therefore Cheryl lived in many places as she was growing up. These included Detroit, Huntsville, Ala., Frazier, Mich., Mt. Healthy, Ohio, Slidell, La., and Bellevue, Wash. She graduated from Sammamish High School in Bellevue in 1971.

She attended Concordia College in Portland, Ore., earning an associate of arts degree in liberal arts, 1973; Concordia College in Bronxville, N.Y., earning a bachelor of science in music and education, 1975; and Gonzaga University, earning a master of arts in curriculum and administration, 1999.

While attending Concordia, she met Scott Jurgens, who was preparing for the Lutheran ministry, and introduced herself to him as "Val," short for Valentine. Following that initial introduction, she told her friends that she was going to marry Scott. They developed a relationship walking together in the Concordia neighborhood and then carried on a long-distance relationship while she attended college in New York and taught in Baltimore. They were married July 3, 1977, at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Baltimore.

She continued to live in various places as Scott finished his seminary education in St. Louis and then accepted various calls to churches and the Navy Chaplain Corps.

Teaching was her passion, concentrating in pre-kindergarten and kindergarten through sixth grade. She loved kids and therefore taught in just about every community where they were located. She taught kindergarten at Redeemer Lutheran School in Baltimore from 1975-1977, Stella Maris Day Care in St. Louis from 1977-1980, a day care in Missoula, Mont., and a preschool in Oceanside, Calif. She taught as a paraprofessional at PC Jantz Elementary School in Odessa, Wash., from approximately 1993-2000, ABCD Kindergarten in Coeur d'Alene from 2001-2004, St. Stanislaus Pre-School in Lewiston for about two years, and ended her career at the jobs she greatly enjoyed, Clarkston First Presbyterian Preschool and as director for the after-school program called The Learning Club, also at First Presbyterian.

Cheryl loved family. She told Scott she wanted 10 children. Scott said two. They ended up having four. Their first daughter, Katharina, was born in 1981 at Bremerton, Wash., while Scott was on internship; Jessica in 1984 in Missoula; John in 1989 in Billings, Mont.; and Patricia in 1991 in Billings. Cheryl loved being a mother, taking the time to be with them, playing with them, and participating in various activities with them. Her goodbye and bedtime motto to them was, "Remember, you are never alone, you are a child of God, and I love you."

Cheryl had a way of making friends easily. When she wasn't teaching, she liked to go out for coffee and visit with various friends. Therefore, whenever the phone rang, it was for Cheryl about 95 percent of the time. She never let her cancer get her down. She even enjoyed visiting with the staff and patients at the oncology center. During her chemotherapy treatments, she loved to share Werther's candies with them. She always said, "No matter what happens, I win either way." This was a reflection of her strong faith in her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

She was preceded in death by her parents and her sister, Linda Smith.

She is survived by her husband, Scott, of Lewiston; her daughter, Katharina Jurgens and husband Michael Gates of Clackamas, Ore.; daughter Jessica Jurgens of Lewiston; son John Jurgens of Pullman; and daughter Patricia Jurgens of Lewiston; her brother, Donald D. Valentine of Washington, D.C.; one cousin, Brenda (Valentine) Beins and her husband Brad; sister-in-law Anita Miranda; brother-in-law Juan Miranda; brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Mike and Colleen Loewen; and several nieces and nephews.

Many thanks go to Dr. Shah, the oncology staff, St. Joseph Regional Medical Center and hospice staff, as well as her many friends who visited regularly, provided meals and supported us during these difficult times. All of you helped her live with cancer and keep a positive spirit.

Vassar-Rawls Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Services will be held at 10 a.m. Friday at Trinity Lutheran Church, with committal following at Lewis-Clark Memorial Gardens. A luncheon will be held at the church following the graveside service.

Suggested memorials can be sent to Trinity Lutheran Church, Lewiston; Clarkston First Presbyterian Church; the American Cancer Society designated for ovarian and pancreatic cancer research; and the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund (ocrf.org).