Cherie Donels

Cherie Donels passed away February 2, 2026, from the effects of late-in-life cancer after a fulfilling, amazing life. 

Cherie was born Sharon Lynne Donels on January 21, 1939, in Vinton, Iowa, to parents Clare Odel Donels and Alice Portzline Donels. Her father began calling her “Cherie” while he served in WWII, and she used that name throughout her life, eventually changing her name legally to Cherie Donels.

She grew up in Vinton, Iowa, where she enjoyed riding her horse bareback, hanging out with her friends, and spending time with her dad at his Vinton Hybrid Seeds office. 

Cherie bucked the norm for girls of the time by graduating with a chemistry degree from Iowa State University, where she was a proud sister of Tri Delta sorority, and treasured the lifelong friendships she formed there.

Upon graduation, Cherie worked in a research library, then married and had three children. After several years, she made the choice to leave work and raise them. When her children were in high school, she returned to school, took computer courses at the University of Texas - Dallas, and started her long career in computer programming.

Cherie was well-known for her dedication to the P.E.O. Sisterhood, https://www.peointernational.org, a women’s philanthropic educational organization founded on January 21, 1869, with more than half a million members that helps women pursue educational goals by providing educational assistance. Her birthday shared its founding month/day, often calling herself a “Founders’ Day Baby.” Cherie created the organization’s first website, https://peotexas.org, and maintained it for many years until her retirement. Her website set the standard for the P.E.O. websites that followed, including the international and state sites. 

When Cherie sold her long-time Plano, TX home, she moved to Hidden Springs Senior Living, a retirement community in McKinney, TX. She enjoyed her new friends, cherished looking out the window in her yellow bedroom every day and seeing St Andrew's Episcopal Church across the street, and was proud to be a founding member of The Congregation at Hidden Springs, a satellite of St. Andrew’s.

As Cherie grew ill, she shared these thoughts about her life:

More than anything, she really loved her children, even though one always drove her nuts. Fortunately, it was always a different one.

Besides her children, Cherie loved her animals. She often claimed to love them more than most people she met.

The person who had the most influence on her life was her dad, who told her when she left for college, “Work as hard as you play, and play as hard as you work.” She felt that she followed this advice.

Cherie regretted being hard on her mother, whose own mother died when she was very young. She realized her mother did not have the luxury of having someone to guide her.

Cherie’s Favorite Day was, as Pooh says to Piglet, ”What Day is it, Piglet?” Piglet says, “Why it’s Today, Pooh.” Pooh says, “Good, It’s my Favorite Day!”

Cherie would like to be remembered as “spontaneous and always ready for fun, a pretty good bridge player in her older years, not too bad a sailor in her youth, a so-so artist, and a loyal friend.” 

Cherie was predeceased by her parents and her sister Dianne. She is survived by her sons Tom Bilek (Kelly) and John Bilek (Terri); her daughter Marty Bilek; 3 grandsons: John Bilek (Brynn), Ryan Bilek (Jenny), and Thomas Bilek; her granddaughter Clare Bilek; and step-grandson Alex Barnes and step-granddaughter Brittney Barnes Gonzalez (Evan). 

In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to Cottey College https://cottey.edu/give/online-gift with the designation direction for the “Bilek-Donels Scholarship Fund” or to the charity of your choice. She and her daughter Marty created the scholarship fund, to which Cherie donated the proceeds from her pet and other paintings over the years. 

We will remember her as she wished at a celebration of life service at 11:00am, Saturday, March 14, 2026, at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 6400 McKinney Ranch Parkway, McKinney, TX 75070, with “good food and good conversations with friends and family” immediately following in the church reception room.