Cherie Chittenden

Cherie Chittenden

Cedar Rapids

Cherie Chittenden, 79, passed away peacefully on July 1, 2022, to join her beloved dogs in Heaven.

Cherie grew up in Des Moines. When she was 13 years old, after studying dance for many years, she decided to teach dancing as a way to earn money. Cherie charged 25 cents a lesson, teaching in her grandmother’s basement. She taught all the way through high school, earning enough money to buy a new red Comet, her dream car. She graduated from East High School, where she was an excellent student, finishing at the top of her graduating class scholastically as well as being a majorette, Dance Team Captain and homecoming queen.

Cherie attended Grand View College in Des Moines on a full scholarship, but opted out to marry her childhood sweetheart Dick Van Cleave and to concentrate on her dance studio business. She moved her dance studio into their home but soon expanded to a new facility near their home. Her beloved and only son, Roger Van Cleave was born on the Fourth of July, 1962.

Cherie and Dick divorced in 1968 and she and Roger moved to Cedar Rapids to start a new life and a new dance studio. She opened her studio at 3960 Center Point Rd. NE, eventually expanding to multiple locations in the area. In 2011 she designed and built her own building at 4000 Center Point Rd., to unite all her dancers. Cherie loved teaching dance and holding recitals at the Paramount Theater. She spent her life teaching dance to thousands of children over 60 years.

She taught her students life lessons, confidence, strength, the benefits of hard work, and friendship. Cherie loved to travel and took her students to Paris, London, and New York. She was an amazing, supportive, loving mother to her son, dogs and dance family. She followed her son’s career in the Air Force and visited him in Korea and attended his promotion to Colonel at the Pentagon.

She loved the holidays, especially Christmas, and decorated every room in her house. Cherie loved cooking almost as much as she loved dance. She led a full life of friends, family, dancing, drag boat racing, snow mobiling, hanging out at her boat house and driving her Corvette. Cherie has always been accompanied in her journey through life, by her beloved dogs; Misty, Heidi, Charlie, Shannon, Tami, Charlie Lee, Josie, Teddy, Sammy and Lucky.

In 2015, Cherie was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer. She was very strong willed and even after several surgeries and chemotherapy, she still insisted on going to work at the Dance Studio, wearing her wig and using a walker. Cherie was extremely grateful that her dance daughter, Jenny Abben, took over the ownership and operation of Cherie’s Dance Studio to continue her legacy.

Cherie is survived by her son, Roger (Jill) Van Cleave; grandson, Andrew (Chelsea); great-grandson, Colton; and her dance daughter, Jenny Abben.

Cherie did not want a funeral or service. Please join us to honor her memory with a Celebration of Life Dance Party from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday, July 15, at Cherie’s Dance Studio, 4000 Center Point Rd. NE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Donations can be made in her memory to the Cedar Valley Humane Society of Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Online condolences may be left at www.cedarmemorial.com under obituaries.