Obituary of Cher'ie "Cher" Ann Franzen

Cher'ie "Cher" Ann Franzen went to the Lord on December 17, 2018. Cher was born on March 28, 1946, to Roger and Virginia (Buonacasa) Bergman of Forest Park, Illinois.

Cher grew up in Joliet, Illinois. She attended Joliet West High School and studied early childhood development at St. Joseph's College in Rensselaer, Indiana. She married her beloved husband, Ron Franzen, on October 22, 1976, in Chicago, Illinois. Through the years they raised six wonderful children - Curt, Peter, Kevin, Steven, William and Veronica. Cher was so proud of all of her children. They enjoyed many family vacations to places like Great America theme park, Kentucky Dam Village and more.

Cher built a rewarding day care business with Ron, providing in-home day care services for twenty years. Cher also served as a consultant to the Women's Bureau within the United States Department of Labor, consulting on foster care, adoption and day care issues.

Ron and Cher loved to travel and enjoyed many trips on their "bucket list," including Arizona; the Grand Canyon; Churchill, Canada; Devil's Tower; Mt. Rushmore; California; New York; the Alamo; the River Walk; Albuquerque Balloon Festival; Sedona and many more destinations.

Cher was an active member of her community, serving on several boards and committees. Her love of animals was unsurpassed, as demonstrated by her 22 years of board service to the local nonprofit Animal Allies Humane Society. Cher was instrumental in spearheading the capital campaign for their new shelter on Airport Road, and starting the annual "Fur Ball" fundraiser more than 15 years ago. Cher also served on the board of the Lake Superior Zoo for seven years.

Cher's favorite hobbies included spending time with friends and family, drawing, writing and going to the movies.

Cher is preceded in death by her parents, Roger and Virginia Bergman, loving husband, Ron Franzen, dear aunt Lil Essig, sister-in-law Rita Franzen, and loving dogs Smokey Joe, Coco Puff, Lady Dog, Molly and Maggie.

Cher is survived by her six children: Curt, Peter (wife Colleen), Kevin (wife Ayanna), Steven, William and Veronica; four grandchildren: Josef, Elizabeth, Samantha, and Madisyn; one great-grandson, Cayden; nieces and nephews: Michael (Roxanne) Mandel, Megan (Chris) Janusz, Katie (Joe) VanderVeen, Brian (Erin) Mandel; and Cher's beloved service dog and companion, Sadie.

A Memorial Service will be held at 10 a.m. with a visitation one hour prior on Friday, Dec. 28, at the Cremation Society of Minnesota, 4100 Grand Ave, in Duluth. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Cher's memory to the Animal Allies Humane Society in Duluth or the Lake Superior Zoo, also in Duluth.