Cheryl Lynn (Nay) Balls, age 79, passed away peacefully on Thursday, September 12, 2024 surrounded by her family. Cheri was born on February 15, 1945 to Alva and Lela Nay of Glade, KS. She was an only child.
Cheri grew up on the farm in Glade. She loved to tell stories of riding her horse, Banner, and singing to the cows and chickens. Their home always held a lot of family gatherings. She went on to raise her own family with the same traditions, values, and morals.
Cheri married Tom Balls of Phillipsburg, KS on February 28, 1964. They made their home in Phillipsburg where they welcomed two children, Mike and Tami. Cheri went back to college and received her teaching degree in 1983. She taught for 30 years and loved all of her 3rd grade students. The impact she made on her many students over the years lives on today. She retired in 2005. To know Cheri was to love her. She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, friend, and teacher.
Tom and Cheri loved to travel and enjoyed their many adventures including searching out and sampling the favorite local cuisine. Their dogs were well-traveled members of the family, treated to swimming in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and the Gulf of Mexico. Their animals were loved. Together, they made many happy memories from these adventures traveling from coast to coast, visiting forty-four of the fifty states of this great country.
Cheri was active in multiple clubs, led both the Cub Scouts and Girl Scouts, and volunteered for several organizations that her children were involved in over the years. She was definitely a very present and involved parent!
She was an active and involved grandmother as well. She doted on and loved her grandkids. As she was able, she attended their various activities, sports events, and school programs. She traveled many places and miles and was their biggest supporter. She was always in the know of where her grandkids were at any time, putting everyone else first. As time went on and she was unable to physically attend events, she of course was still present by making provisions to be there through the use of technology.
Cheri was an amazing cook! She always made sure that at every family gathering, everyone had their favorite dish to enjoy. No one ever went hungry. She passed this love onto her kids and grandkids…they all love to cook and bake, and it’s all because of her.
Cheri didn’t forget or miss anything! She did everything for everyone else, and that is just a small part of what made her so special. She will be missed dearly by her family and those that have been touched by her love.
Cheri is survived by her loving husband of 60 years, Tom, son Mike (Chris) Nay of Bennington, KS, and daughter Tami (Nick) Poels of Phillipsburg. She leaves behind her grandchildren Darren (Megan) Nay, Dani (Aaron) Bain, and Gabby and James Poels as well as great-grandchildren Emma Nay and Molly Nay (due in November). Cheri was preceded in death by her parents.
Cheri is going home. She will be laid to rest on the family farm in Glade, KS. As the matriarch of the family, she will be the first to be buried in the Nay family cemetery that’s just a stone’s throw away from the farmhouse where she grew up and the fields where she rode her horse. As the saying goes, “The best journey takes you home”.
A funeral service for Cheri Balls will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, September 20, 2024, at the Olliff-Boeve Memorial Chapel in Phillipsburg, Kansas, with Pastor Ron Wedel officiating. Burial will follow at the Nay Family Cemetery.
Cheri will lie in state from 12:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Wednesday and 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Thursday at the Olliff-Boeve Memorial Chapel in Phillipsburg, Kansas.
Memorial Contributions may be made to Phillips County Hospital.