Obituary of Cherie Crandall

Cherie was a dynamo in life and valued action over words. Energetic and perseverant, she accomplished much in her 66 years and lived a full life. As a woman of great heart, she was born appropriately enough on Valentine's Day in Binghamton, New York. She enjoyed holidays and gatherings of all sorts because she loved to be with people. As the youngest of three children, she was the baby of the family, and received the extra attention she so enjoyed. She had a great love for animals, especially dogs, nurturing and loving many pet dogs over her lifetime. Cherie was a high achiever educationally, graduating from Radcliffe College and getting a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania. In high school, she was sponsored by the Rotary Club to live for a year in Oita, Japan with a resident Japanese family. This kindled a love in life for bringing peace in the world through cultural exchange. She would later usher many foreign student groups to Santa Cruz, finding families and coordinating activities and itineraries. She was instrumental in starting student exchanges in Shingu, Japan and Alushta, Ukraine as a member of the Santa Cruz Sister Cities Committee. She met her husband Dave, as a teacher at Glen Arbor School in Ben Lomond. Their shared love for nurturing young children was a strong common bond between them. She went on to become the Director of Glen Arbor and later became the Director of Neighborhood Childcare Center for over 25 years. At Neighborhood, she developed a strong community preschool by winning many grants, starting a bilingual program, securing adjacent property to expand, but most importantly by building and fostering relationships with all parts of the community. Cherie is survived by her husband, Dave Rus, her son Bodhi, her sister Gail Nyhan of Mountain View, and brother David Crandall of Portland, Oregon. She will be sorely missed.