Cheryl Mignon Knorr Lewis Mitchell

Cheryl Mignon Knorr was born on November 11th in the very cold winter of 1948 to Nona and Walter Knorr. She was brought home to a little red brick bungalow on Chadwick Street in Sugar House. Her mother was so happy to bring her first baby daughter to join her brothers: Evron, Kenton and Randall. Later her baby sister and best friend, Mitzi was born. She made many happy memories with her siblings. 

It was in her childhood home that Cheryl, known as Chery as a child, was taught to live and love the gospel of Jesus Christ. Her talent for singing and appreciation of music began young in life. She loved to sing and her mother would accompany her on the piano. Her parents taught her to work hard. Her father gave her a section of the yard that she could use to grow her own garden. Cultivating this small garden began her life-long love of flowers and gardening. 

She lived in a neighborhood full of children and played games and had many friends. She attended Highland Park Elementary. Later, she went to Irving Junior High, where she was President of the Junior Red Cross and got to go to a week-long leadership camp.

At Highland High, she was a member of Pep Club, High Debs, and Acapella Choir. The most important part of her high school experience was seminary, where she served as Student Body Secretary. This meant planning morning-sides, firesides, dances, and parties. They chose the theme from 2 Nephi 31:20—a perfect brightness of hope. She was also chosen to be Regional Seminary Secretary. The big event was called “S” Day which was a devotional in the Assembly Hall, a movie at the Center Theater, and a dance after hours at the Cottonwood Mall involving all the Salt Lake City high schools.

After graduating from Highland, her mother, Mitzi, and she traveled through Europe for six weeks. At the University of Utah, she was very involved with the Latter-day Saint Institute. She was Secretary and later President of Kappa Delta in Lambda Delta Sigma. She wrote many skits, writing new words to songs from Broadway musicals. One such skit was to introduce new officers for Lambda Delta Sigma at an event held at the State Capitol Rotunda. Writing skits led to road shows and many musical productions in her teaching career. She also sung with the Institute Choir and toured the Pacific Northwest, San Francisco Bay Area and Southern California.

During the summers of her junior and senior years at university, she worked at the Brighton Girls camp—first as a counselor and then as assistant director. She wasn’t that “buddy buddy” with the director, but was told she was called because she spent her time responsibly with the campers. Following graduation from the University of Utah with a degree in elementary education, she didn’t get a job right away and was working at Brighton Girls Camp. One night, stake leaders came to the camp. One of them just happened to be the man who hired for the Salt Lake School District. He hired Cheryl to teach 3rd grade at Glendale Park Elementary.

While attending an LDSSA student leadership training as a representative from University of Utah, she happened to meet Grant Lewis, who was then a student at Brigham Young University (BYU). He was listening to “Why Can’t a Woman be More Like a Man?” from My Fair Lady. They dated for a little over a year and were engaged at exactly 10:29 pm on October 29th, so they would never forget the time or date. After graduation from BYU, Grant furthered his education and received his MBA from the University of Utah. On June 1st 1972 Cheryl and Grant were married in the Salt Lake Temple. They had the words “Eternally One” engraved in their wedding bands. They were blessed with five treasures: Glenn, Teresa, Paul, Jeana, and Craig. 

Grant’s job with Union Bank took them to California, first the Bay Area and then Southern California. Their first purchased home was in Pasadena. The Rose Parade parked their floats directly across the street on Sierra Madre Boulevard. After Paul was born, they moved to Claremont and there established some great friends. Grant had promised Cheryl they would move back to Utah before the kids were established in school. Just after Glenn’s eighth birthday, they returned to Sandy, Utah. There in Utah, she was able to raise her family surrounded by the love and support of her mother, Grandma Knorr, her sister Mitzi, and her brothers Kenton and Evron. Every Sunday afternoon her extended family enjoyed gathering at Grandma Knorr’s house to laugh and eat M&Ms. 

Grant worked for Commercial Security where he was an assistant Vice President. Grant became sick in the fall of that year and was diagnosed with cancer of the liver, the same disease Cheryl had. He died the following February. Cheryl was left to raise five children including the newborn baby, Craig. 

Grant’s passing instilled in Cheryl and her children the reality of eternal families. She even wrote a family theme song, put to the tune of a college football fight cheer. The Lewis kids would regularly sing, “The Lewis family can be together forever” ending it with a joyful “rah, rah, rah!” This belief in eternal families and the tradition of singing has been passed down to her children and grandchildren.

She lovingly and dutifully cared full-time for her children. Each of her children knew that she treasured them. She ran a busy and happy home. Her children learned to work hard in the yard and in school. She taught them to get along with each other and to work well with others. She adopted Grandma Knorr’s motto, “exploring is never boring” and she took them on many family trips including a month-long Church history and American history tour across the country in an RV. 

When Craig was in kindergarten, she was PTA President at Granite Elementary. At the encouragement of her principal, she recertified her teaching degree and was hired as a half-time teacher at East Sandy Elementary. Later, she joined a job-share so that she could be home with her children. 

When her children were nearly grown, Mitzi introduced Cheryl to Nat Mitchell. They quickly fell in love and were married on January 14, 2004. Nat has been a loving and supportive companion to Cheryl. They have taken numerous trips and cruises to Alaska, Costa Rica and to far away Mediterranean islands and European destinations. Cheryl has traveled to see her kids and grandkids wherever they lived around the world. She has a “trophy wall” with decorative plates from all over the world where she has visited. Nat and Cheryl served two LDS inner-city service missions and served as ordinance workers for many years at the Draper Utah Temple.

Keeping the tradition of her mother, she always kept her home as a welcoming place for family to gather for Sunday game nights of Rummikub, Christmas carol sing-a-longs or for visiting from far away. All knew they were welcomed and loved. Her children have always been the focus of her life. She is pleased to say all five are faithful members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint and all 17 grandchildren are following their parents’ examples. 

At the beginning of May 2024, Cheryl starting feeling sick. After weeks of medical testing and waiting she was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer that had metastasized to her liver, ironically very similar to the cancer that took Grant’s life. She endured 3 rounds of chemotherapy in the hopes of prolonging her life. But sadly, on July 23, 2024 she succumbed and passed away.

Despite her pain, Cheryl stayed active right to the end of her life. She continued to enjoy morning walks with her friends and family. Through her illness, dear Ward members, life-long friends, extended family, grandkids, her children, and her husband surrounded her with care. Just days before her passing, not knowing how much time was left, all her children gathered for a night of photos, laughing, and Rummikub. That evening will remain a precious memory. 

A testimony of Jesus Christ and His Atonement have helped Cheryl “Think Celestial” in good and hard times. Cheryl would like to be known for trying to live by the Book of Mormon scripture found in 2 Nephi 31:20 “Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.” 

Cheryl is preceded in death by her husband, Grant Bagley Lewis, her parents Nona Stutznegger Knorr and Walter Knorr and her sister Mitzi Mitchell. She is survived by her husband Nathaniel Montgomery Mitchell; her brothers: Ervon, Kenton and Randall Knorr; her children and their spouses: Glenn and Erika Lewis, Teresa and Chris Scott, Paul and Katie Lewis, Jeana and Stephen Ward and Craig and Ashlee Lewis; and 17 grandchildren. 

The viewing will be held on July 29, 2024 from 6:00-7:30 p.m. at the Latter-day Saint church at 9119 South 1300 East in Sandy, Utah. Her funeral will be the next day, July 30, 2024, with a viewing starting at 10:00 a.m. followed by a service at 11 a.m. Her graveside service will be at 1 p.m. for family only at Wasatch Lawn Cemetery, 3401 South Highland Drive in Millcreek, Utah.