Pub 6 2021 Issue 1

15 Spring 2021 “You know, what I think I admired most about her was her ethics. She approached everything with an internal code of ethics that was exemplary. She worked hard. She was dedicated, and here’s an important thing – she knew how to listen. Not many people do. She received letters from all over the world thanking her for her efforts and her leadership. She was the president for Soroptimist International, which is a global organization that provides women and girls with access to the education and training they need to achieve economic empowerment. There are over 30,000 members in nineteen countries, and Cheri visited each chapter. She lived to do good. I have received over three hundred cards since she passed. It’s the most amazing thing I have ever seen. It’s humbling to think that anyone could have that effect on others. And yet, she never bragged. She took our store and created the highest CSI in the country. She had the most contagious effect for excellence – she lived it and inspired it. One of my favorite memories of Cheri came from a very sad event in our town. A couple of years ago, we had a shooting at our high school, Saugus High. You never think it’s going to happen in your neighborhood. When Cheri heard about it, her first reaction was that she had to do something. And within just a few hours, she had organized pizza and hamburgers to be donated to the first responders and the paramedics working so diligently to provide first aid. It was a small thing, but it wasn’t. It was comfort, and these amazing people on the front lines knew that our community was thinking about them and supporting them. Cheri was all about the details. I fell in love with Cheri the first time I saw her. It was like a silver bullet pierced my heart, and suddenly, I was hopelessly in love. She brought so much joy and inspiration to our lives. I miss her. Our family misses her. Our community misses her. She was my guiding light. She was my inspiration. She was my compass.” — Don Fleming, Cheri’s husband, best friend, and business partner