Obituary of Cheryl Annette Caldrone

A stroll down memory lane The Life of Cheryl Annette Caldrone Cheryl, known in the family as “Net”, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on November 20, 1957, to Lenora and the late Charles Frank Brinson. Cheryl was immersed in Christianity at a young age developing a connection with God that became her lifelong support. She attended Lea Elementary School and shared after school memories of enjoying cherry Italian water ice, pretzels with mustard, and hot sausages. She loved jumping double dutch rope, playing jacks, Pokeno, roller skating, dancing, shaping her Afro, singing “ole school” music, and bringing life to parties. Cheryl shared her childhood and life with her eldest sisters, Sheila Boone-Martin and Sharon Burnette-Viteo, younger sister and brother Kathy Stubbs, and the late David Brinson. Also, Cheryl and her siblings spent countless hours with cousins, who grew to become more like sisters and brothers. Cheryl loved planning “Cousins Parties”, that often included her aunts and uncles whom she truly loved. She shared comical memories about her grandparents, the late Lonza “Da-Da”, and Tempie “Grandmom” Hall. She was always very humorous and loved storytelling that left others rolling in laughter. In 1970, Frank and Lenora relocated to Newtonville, New Jersey, to open “Brinsons Groceries”. This accomplishment set a foundation that gave Cheryl and her siblings the opportunity to experience running a black owned business. Cheryl often reminisced about working at the store, pumping gas for customers, preparing hoagies, cheesesteaks, hot sausages, and ensuring that the deli meats were properly displayed. She also worked the cash register, packaged products with pride, and assisted with dispensing chicken feed. During this time period she developed a love for cars, the first being an old Rambler given to her by her father. Cheryl was excited to drive the Rambler, because it was her first means of transportation to get to the skating rink and other favorite places. Later, she purchased her dream car, a white Firebird. Occasionally to satisfy her need to speed, she would hop on the Atlantic City Expressway with her ole school music blasting, CRUISING!!! Cheryl attended Buena Regional High School, in Buena NJ. She joined the boy’s track and field team. In her yearbook a question was raised, “Was it her female ability or her lanky legs that got her on the boys’ track team?” While in school, she became a cheerleader coach, and was later offered a school administrators position. Cheryl graduated high school in 1975, reuniting with friends throughout life. On September 23rd, 1979, she was presented with an opportunity to work in Customer Relations at the Atlantic City Electric Company. Cheryl’s desire for self-enrichment, motivated her to advance in her career. She spoke about call center experiences that she enjoyed while working her way up the ladder. During her career, the company transitioned from Atlantic City Electric Company to Conectiv, Pepco Holdings, and later becoming a subsidiary of Exelon Corporation. At work, she was a member of the African American leadership team; an advocate for cultural awareness and assisted with coordinating company events. On December 29, 1979, Cheryl was united in marriage to the late Kevin Gist. She gave life to two daughters, Shawn and Raina, and was known to always have the girls by her side. Cheryl remained adventurous, introducing Shawn and Raina to a lifetime interest in theme parks, beach days, and traveling. She taught her daughters to care for people, protect one another, be true to self, and love the family. Cheryl also participated in community service activities, such as, volunteer work at the South Jersey Food Bank, and serving on the City of Winslow Township committee. In 2016, at the age of 57, Cheryl retired after 37 years of service. She closed her career as a System Analyst III, at Exelon Corporation. After retirement, Cheryl became a grandmother to Skye Rose Funk. Skye brought much joy, love, motivation, and excitement to her “Zsa Zsa”. She spent her time creating memories and leaving tokens of love for Skye to have in the future. Cheryl also enjoyed exercising, yoga, shooting at the gun range, watching Netflix series, having meetups in her gazebo aka “Headquarters II”, cooking, and morning walks at the park. She grew spiritually, read her bible often, watched Joyce Meyer Ministries on television every Sunday, wrote notes, and shared her readings with others. Cheryl was a world traveler, and had amazing adventures in places, such as, Dubai, Kuwait, Aruba, Jamaica, and many more. In 2019, Cheryl was diagnosed with Cancer and fought hard until her last breath. During the last round of her fight, she remained active and optimistic showing the true definition of “strength”. The days leading up to May 02, 2022, Cheryl was surrounded by family and friends, had lots of laughter, and full of love. She was a beautiful person inside and out and will truly be missed by all. A Visitation will be held Wednesday, May 11, 2022, 11:00 PM - 12:00 PM with Funeral Services at 12:00 PM. Burial will follow in Egg Harbor City Cemetery.