Cheryl Josephine Piepergerdes Griner departed her earthly life on May 1, 2026. She was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, June 10, 1941, the eldest daughter of Kenneth and Vernell Piepergerdes. She received a bachelor’s degree from Central Missouri State University and graduated from the University at Kansas City with a Master’s degree in education. Cheryl became a teacher for the Independence School District in 1969 and taught first, second, and fourth grades over a period of thirty years, retiring in 1999.

Cheryl was a church organist all her life. She studied organ with William Ted Stewart and served on the organ recital staff at the Independence Auditorium and Temple for over 25 years. While there she was the organist for the Rockhurst University Graduation for 15 years. Cheryl and her sister, Marla Kay, enjoyed playing duets throughout life as they both played piano, organ, and flute thanks to their mother’s influence and teaching.

Cheryl was previously a fashion model for the Patricia Stevens Modeling Agency on the Country Club Plaza and in 1995, won the trophy for Most Outstanding Lady in the Easter Parade, which was presented to her by Mayor Emmanuel Clever. In recent retirement years, she served as a volunteer for St. Joseph’s Health Center and also as a Kansas City area Chair also active in the Independence School District’s Youthfriend Program.

She united schoolmates and formed the Bethel School Historical Association, a non-profit organization whose purpose was to preserve the history of this historical school building, in Buchanan County, south of St. Joseph, which she and her sister had attended.

In 2008 Cheryl wrote and published a book for primary students about Bethel School named Bethel Forever, which is listed nationally in books for print. That was followed by her second book, entitled Bethel School Memories, which was published in 2010. At her granddaughter's request, she wrote and published her autobiography, A Lifetime of Memories, and a book of poetry she had written, named Heart Hugs.

She is survived by two granddaughters, Stephanie Lynn Holem and husband Matt of Syracuse, Missouri, and Rachel Elizabeth Westbrooks and her husband, Jared, of Independence, Missouri. She is survived by a sister, Marla Kay Keck, and a brother-in-law, Harold Keck, as well as 3 great grandsons and 2 great granddaughters. She was predeceased by her parents, Kenneth and Vernell Piepergerdes, her husband, David Griner Sr., in 1992, and her only child, Dave Griner Jr., in 2005.