Cherie Malczynski passed away at home surrounded by loved ones after a long battle with metastatic cancer, on 01/15/2024.
Cherie was employed by Rock Valley Tool in Easthampton as their Office Manager for many years and loved the people she worked with. She maintained friendships with so many people whose life she had touched. Cherie spent time working in the medical industry for Dr. Holly Michaelson as well as many years for Yankee Candle, a job that ignited her passion for travel, as she enjoyed going to trade shows. She also enjoyed waitressing and waiting tables for the Smithsonian restaurant as well as doing catering work with them.
Cherie was a 1983 graduate of Northampton High School, where she was proudly a cheerleader for the Blue Devils. Cherie easily made friends wherever she went and was a born animal lover. She became an equestrian horse rider as a young girl, always willing and happy to clean the stables, so she could be around the horses longer. Over the years she had pets such as dogs, cats, chinchillas, hamsters, and yes, rats. Aligning with her love for fast horses, later in life she loved to race her 2006 mustang down the dragstrip at Lebanon Valley and hang out at car shows. Some wonderful and lasting friendships were found in the car community.
Cherie loved to travel and took every opportunity to adventure with family and friends, especially her best friend Tracy Lavalle, who considered Cherie an honorary mom to her sons Jared and Cole. Be it a weekend trip to Hampton Beach or Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, if the opportunity to travel was offered, she would accept. Her most recent trip was to Argentina, but she also saw many islands, and most of Europe. Cherie never traveled without her trusty camera and was an avid amateur photographer.
A passion she found was working out with her friends doing black market Zumba in the basement of dear friends' home. She never wanted to miss a single workout, regardless of how she felt.
Cherie was an inspiration to most everyone she met. She earned the love and admiration of the staff at Mass General in Boston as a patient who would do anything to stay strong. She would entertain the nurses with photos of all the trips she would go on and always made everyone smile.
Cherie leaves behind her husband of 31 years, John Malczynski Jr. of Southampton, her dog Franklin and rabbit Keebler. Her mother Ann Arnold of Sunderland, Sister Michelle Ashlaw of Southampton, and her son Joey, Sister Pamela Poudrier of Hatfield, her daughter, Megan and great nephew Carter, and niece Jamie. She was pre-deceased by her father Floyd Ashlaw.
Calling hours will be held at Boucher - O’Brien Funeral Home, 7 Pleasant St. Easthampton on Tuesday January 23, 2024, 5-7PM.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Cooley Dickenson VNA & Hospice, Westfield Animal Shelter, Daikin Humane Society, or Thomas J. O’Connor Animal Control & Adoption Center.
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