Cheryl Arnold Weaver
September 11, 2024
Cheryl Arnold Weaver was born Cheryl Eileen Arnold on Jan. 10, 1949 in Hastings, NE as the only child of Rollan L. (R.L.) and Laura Evelyn Arnold (née Elifritz), and was brought home to a house built by her father. When Cheryl was two years old, her family moved briefly to Fillmore, CA before returning to Nebraska the next year, settling in Kearney, where there were better work opportunities for R.L., a certified watchmaker. As a little Nebraskan, she enjoyed playing with friends, attending church and eating cherries off the tree that grew over the fence into their yard. She also learned persistence when she tried to teach herself to ride a bicycle in the snow! During these years, she was closest to her mother’s family, visiting her maternal grandparents on their farm.
In 1959, the family moved briefly back to Hastings. That summer, Cheryl and her parents paid a visit to family friends in the Bay Area and rode the California Zephyr. Young Cheryl was captivated by the mild climate, the Golden Gate Bridge and all of the adventures not part of life back home. In 1960, they moved to CA, settling in Palo Alto, where she would stay for the rest of her life. Her mother Evelyn split her time between working at the Stanford University bookstore in the mornings and homemaking in the afternoons; R.L. repaired watches at Hofman Jeweler in downtown Palo Alto. Cheryl attended Lytton Elementary (participating in Girl Scouts), Jordan Junior High, and Palo Alto (Paly) High School, where she graduated in 1967. As a high school student, she made many lifelong friends, was active in the Latin Club and matured as a serious student.
She attended Stanford University, majoring in Classics and minoring in Mathematics. In the fall of 1968, she bumped into James (Jim) Weaver, a Paly classmate, on the steps outside of Meyer Undergraduate Library, and they soon had their first date at a football game. In spring and summer of 1969, she participated in the overseas studies program in Florence, Italy. In addition to perfecting her Italian, she visited classical sites, climbed the Scala Sancta on her knees, and learned to love gelato. Meanwhile, she maintained a long-distance relationship with Jim, who was based in California and England that year, by means of letters and a meet-up in Paris that was almost sabotaged by a train strike. Fortunately, a French railway employee understood the importance of a romantic rendezvous and helped them connect.
Cheryl completed her Bachelor of Arts (1971; cum laude) and remained at Stanford to complete her Master of Arts in Education (1972) with the intent to become an elementary school teacher. Jim and Cheryl were married July 1, 1973 at Stanford Memorial Church, with a reception at Tresidder Union on campus. While Jim completed his Master's degrees and began working in Silicon Valley, Cheryl worked as an editor for a local textbook company and Annual Reviews, and she and Jim purchased their home a few years later. They remained faithful members of Wesley United Methodist Church, Cheryl’s childhood congregation, for 50 years, making lifelong friends through groups such as the young families of Fellowship of the Way.
During these years, Cheryl developed an unshakeable devotion to the Stanford football team, with a particular highlight being trips to the 1971 and 1972 Rose Bowls (and camping out to see the Rose Parade in person). She even attended the 1982 Big Game while seven months pregnant and witnessed The Play, insisting ever after, “His knee was down!” She never left a game before the clock ran out, no matter how certain the result appeared to be, and she was proud that this loyalty allowed her to be present for the Revenge of the Play in 1990. She held season tickets the rest of her life, taking her children to many games, and she later enjoyed finding daughter Sarah among the Stanford Band members.
In 1979, Jim and Cheryl welcomed their son, David, into the world 7 ½ weeks early at home. After helping David overcome initial challenges, Cheryl worked tirelessly over the next 19 years in managing David’s many doctor’s appointments, consultations and more. In 1983, daughter Sarah was born at Stanford Hospital. Over the years as a stay-at-home mom, Cheryl was active in Wesley Church, serving many roles on church boards, and was a devoted Bible study participant all her life. She also spent many hours involved with Brownies/Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, the Ohlone Elementary School PTA, and attending her kids’ many band performances and various sports games.
After witnessing the example of her mother-in-law, Elizabeth Weaver, Cheryl began extensive genealogy research of the Elifritz and Arnold sides of her family in the 1970s and then again 30 years later. She kept track of all extended family members and was occasionally able to meet long-lost relatives and find some long-forgotten burial plots around the country. She also worked to ensure that the family legacy on Jim’s side continued through membership in the Alden Kindred of America and was pleased to be able to visit the Alden House during a family trip to Massachusetts in 1988.
Ever an eager (and highly organized) traveler, Cheryl arranged a number of trips around the country as the children got older, including an epic half-country tour in 1990 covering the intermountain West, the Plains, and the Southwest, the highlight of which was revisiting many aunts, uncles, and cousins in Nebraska. A devotee of “America’s Best Idea,” Cheryl also made sure the family visited national parks and monuments, including Mount Rainier, Crater Lake, Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Craters of the Moon, Yosemite, Meteor Crater, Petrified Forest, Bryce Canyon, Zion, and the Grand Canyon.
After David and Sarah left home for college and beyond, Cheryl continued attending Stanford home football games and staying active at Wesley Church. She and Jim were also regular supporters of the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra for many years, attending concerts at First United Methodist Church of Palo Alto. Having reconnected with old friends while their children were in high school together, she organized regular gatherings of a group of “Paly Gals,” who were among her closest friends in recent years.
In the 2010s, she followed her travel bug again to the United Kingdom in 2013 to visit Sarah in her doctoral program and was thrilled to snag seats for herself and Jim in the quire stalls for evensong at Westminster Abbey; in 2015, she and Jim returned for Sarah’s Ph.D ceremony. The renewed success of the Stanford football team also prompted trips to the Sun Bowl, Fiesta Bowl and three more Rose Bowls. In 2018, she fulfilled a longtime dream of traveling to Hawaii (Kaua’i), which was followed by a return trip in 2019 (Big Island).
The family grew again with weddings in 2008 (David and Jennifer) and 2019 (Sarah and Mark); the arrival of five grandchildren from 2010–2024 extended the family yet again. In her final months and days, her newest granddaughter, Katherine, brought her great joy and comfort.
Cheryl was a consummate listener and always displayed an almost frightening ability to recall arcane details or notice easily overlooked details by us mere mortals. On more than a few occasions, this gift saved the family hide! She remembered the birthdays and anniversaries of not only family but friends and their families. In addition to serving as the family archivist, historian, and recordkeeper, she urged her family members—and their in-laws—to write down the most important stories from their own lives, giving the gift of family history to future generations.
Ever a conscientious citizen, she was a voracious consumer of news (especially the PBS NewsHour, The Mercury News and the Palo Alto Weekly), which inspired David to study journalism in college. Her shelves contained many history books and memoirs (and more than a few John Grisham novels). She studiously prepared for elections by reading ballot measures carefully and doing her homework before casting her vote. For decades, she also attended the Celebrity Forum at Foothill College, with talks ranging from writer Ray Bradbury to former N.J. Sen. Bill Bradley. Though clear-headed, she was—ultimately—an optimist at heart.
In the late spring of 2020, Cheryl was diagnosed with very early stage uterine cancer, which was followed by surgery and radiation. In May 2023, she and Jim joined Sarah and her husband for a much-anticipated trip to Disney World. That July, they celebrated 50 years of marriage. By Christmas of 2023, she was in remission before the cancer returned the following spring. Despite her illness, she continued to visit family, watch her favorite television shows and carry on as best she could. She especially enjoyed visits from old friends and continued to concern herself with looking after others to the end. Her encyclopedic knowledge and attentive care will be sorely missed.
Cheryl is survived by her husband James; son David Weaver (Jennifer) and grandchildren John (14), Grace (11), Savannah (9), and Nathaniel (6); daughter Sarah Weaver (Mark Rubin) and granddaughter Katherine (3 mos.). She is preceded in death by her parents and numerous extended family members.