Cheryl L. Silva Crawford ’90 died on April 4, 2022, in Spring Grove, Illinois.
(The following was provided by the Thompson Spring Grove Funeral Home on April 4, 2022)
Cheryl L. Silva Crawford ’90
Cheryl L. Silva Crawford of Spring Grove, IL. passed away peacefully the morning of Monday, April 4th, 2022, with her adoring husband Jim Crawford at her side. She was born on Thursday, September 26, 1968, in Rehoboth, MA. to Alfred and Shirley (Bennett) Silva. On Sunday, September 29th, 2019, she married Jim Crawford, who was the love of her life. The glowing love they shared for each other was visible through their entire time together. Cheryl became” Maaaaaah” to Jim’s daughter, Amberlynn and they loved every minute of it.
Cheryl attended Dighton – Rehoboth Regional High School where she was active in many school activities, graduating with high honors and a scholarship to Bowdoin College in Brunswick, ME. There, she remained active in many organizations, including choir all while managing a job. She graduated magna cum laude with high honors with a B.A. in Economics. She later earned her master’s degree in Macroeconomics and Finance from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. She continued her education with several professional certifications including Data Analytics, RAPS and PMI.
Cheryl was highly intelligent and skilled; she contributed greatly to many positions over the span of her career; including Senior Consultant and Compliance Manger for Red Nucleus; Regulatory Affairs Project lead for AbbVie; Senior System Consultant for Baxter International; IT Project Manager and Business Systems Analyst for Abbott; Product Manager for Business Logic; and Financial Economist for the Chicago Board of Trade.
Cheryl’s love of animals, particularly to Shelties, lead her to not only owning three, KatieSue, Brody, and Duchess, but also to volunteering time to the Greater Milwaukee Shetland Sheepdog Club as show chair. She donated generously to many Sheltie rescue groups and frequently attended dog shows in IL. and WI. which included several road trips to ASSA Sheltie Nationals across the country. She also made many trips across the country with KatieSue, her first sheltie, named for Cheryl’s favorite national park – Acadia.
Cheryl was a talented bowler and took lessons to improve her skills. Through the years, she bowled on many leagues. She enjoyed dog sports and dog classes such as obedience, agility, rally and scent work. Cheryl was a gifted artist, and frequently participated in acrylic painting classes in local restaurants and online. She was an avid sports fan as she rooted for her Patriots, Red Sox, and Bruins, as well as the Chicago Cubs, Bears and Blackhawks. Cheryl was always up for any new adventures including BBQ judging, cooking classes, dancing classes, and zip lining. She engaged in every activity with a warm smile that would light up the room and she added friends in each new hobby along the way. Her soft-spoken nature, quick wit, kindness and warm heart are deeply missed by countless friends and her two Shelties, Brody and Duchess.