Cheryl Jean (Reierson) Dehner was born on September 25, 1962, in Mobridge, South Dakota to Woodrow and Phyllis Reierson. She spent the first few years of her life living in Pollock, SD with her three older sisters and parents. She then moved to Hazen, North Dakota where she grew up and attended school. She was proud of her North Dakota roots, and often referred to North Dakota as “God’s Country”. Anyone who knew, or talked to mom, knew that this topic brought up some heated conversations, and mom’s claims that North Dakota has “mountains” (the badlands).
She then attended college at Dickinson State University where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. Her first teaching job brought her to Montana (the true God’s Country), where she planted roots and called home for the last 35 years. It was through mom’s teaching career that she was brought to Poplar, where she was introduced to the mysterious man across the street…. Ward Dehner, whom she stalked until she found out who he was, and the rest is history. They were married on June 27, 1987. They had three children, to whom mom credits her gray hair. She spent many weekends and school nights chasing her kids with their numerous sporting and school events. She was their biggest fan, and loudest, in the stands. This then trickled down to her following her grandkids, to where she was still, the loudest in the stands…shocker!
Mom loved music and if you ask any of her kids, if music was blaring on Saturday morning, chances were that day you were cleaning! She always had music playing in the classroom as well. Her students loved her, and she was always considered as one of the fun teachers who would literally get down on the floor, some students may remember the “dying cockroach”.
Teaching was truly her passion, she loved every aspect of it, and after 26 years of teaching in Poplar she retired. After a few years of retirement and being a “kept woman,” she went back to teaching in a different form; she taught Sunday school at Faith Free Lutheran Church and two years of Pre-school out of her house. Through working at the school mom made many great, life-long, friends that she cherished.
Mom was the life of the party and a true joy to be around. There were always laughs when you were around mom. Her home was open to anyone, she would just tell you to “ignore the mess”. She loved the Minnesota Vikings (no matter how disappointing they were) and her Norwegian heritage.
Family and God were mom’s main priorities. She loved her children and grandchildren with all her heart. She would spoil them rotten, much to their parents’ dislike. She would always tell her kids and grandkids, “no one loves you as much as I do”.
Mom passed away on September 21st at the age of 58 at Sanford Health in Fargo, North Dakota surrounded by her family.
Cheryl is preceded in death by her parents, sister Cynthia Miller, her Mother-in law and Father-in law Leon and Irene Dehner, and nephew Hunter Dehner.
She is survived by her husband ,Ward Dehner. Children: Lane (Yvette) Dehner of Poplar, Lauren (Kyle) Michels of Belfield, ND, and Laken (Charles) Pollock of Poplar. Her grandchildren: Carly, Madison and Garret Dehner, Adleigh and Braddex Michels, and Tamryn and Aubrey Pollock. Sisters: Ann (Earl) Wiedrich of Hazen, ND, Roberta (Allan) Pfliger of West Fargo ND. Brothers-in-law: Les (Jerine) Miller of Hazen, ND, Raymond (Su) Dehner of Fairbanks, AK, Todd Dehner of Sidney, and Dallas (Paula) Dehner of Culbertson. She had numerous nieces and nephews whom she loved dearly.