Cheryl C. Shafer

Cheryl C. Shafer, age 78, of Osakis, died unexpectedly on Tuesday, August 13, 2024, at her home.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m., Friday, August 16, 2024, at Lind Family Funeral Home in Alexandria.

Visitation is one hour prior to the service.

Cheryl Charmian was born on November 5, 1945, to Milo and Cecile (Gabory) Aleshire in Little Falls. She grew up in Pembina, North Dakota, where she graduated from high school. Cheryl was united in marriage to LeRoy “Roy” Shafer in September 1963, and together they moved to St. Cloud, where they were blessed with five sons. Shortly after the birth of their youngest son, the family relocated to Benson, where they owned and operated a service station. In 1989, they purchased Mill Lake Resort near Alexandria, running it until Cheryl's health began to decline in 2000. Cheryl also worked for many years as a bookkeeper for Ace Hardware, retiring in 2016. She enjoyed reading and took great pride in caring for her flower garden. Above all, Cheryl cherished spending time with her family, especially her grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her infant son, Robert; parents, Milo and Cecile Aleshire; sisters, Denese Aleshire and Dariel O’Hara; brothers, Terry Aleshire, Keith Aleshire, and Dwight Aleshire; great-grandson, Trey Rasmussen; brothers-in-law, Tom O’Hara and James Shafer; and parents-in-law, Robert and Louise Shafer.

Cheryl is survived by her husband of 60 years, Roy; four sons, Bradley (Julie) Shafer of Alexandria, Steven (Teresa) Shafer of Marriottsville, Maryland, Mark (Katie) Shafer of Grand Rapids, and Dennis (Pam) Shafer of St. Cloud; 11 grandchildren, Amanda (Rob) Imme, Meghan Shafer, Caleb (Nestor) Shafer, Hannah (Justin) Sekira, Elijah Shafer, Jessie Shafer, Nick Shafer, Bo (Jamie) Nabozny, Kali (Ryan) Unke, Kelsi (Tom) Lye, and Leah (Tom) Rasmussen; 14 great-grandchildren; brother, Arlyn (Krista) Aleshire; sister, Candy (Gary) Butala; sisters-in-law, Donna Shafer and Jan Aleshire; along with many nieces, nephews, and other relatives.