Cheryl Kay Hopkins Gillespie was born to Bernice (née) Owens and Wayne Hopkins on September 18,1944 in Greensboro, North Carolina, welcomed home by her older brother George.

Cheryl's family lived in a lakeside home next door to her maternal grandparents house with her aunt, uncle and cousins living on the other side. It was an idyllic childhood surrounded by a loving, extended family and Mother Nature.

Cheryl, a woman of many, varied talents and interests was an excellent student throughout her years of education as well as being a gifted singer.

Receiving an academic scholarship, she attended Greensboro College (NC) where she completed a Bachelor of Music degree in voice. Cheryl also received scholarships to attend Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana where she completed a Master's in Music, vocal pedagogy. It was at Indiana University she met a certain clarinetist, doctoral student James E. Gillespie, the man she cherished and with whom she shared 57 years of marriage.

After moving from Monroe, Louisiana to Denton, Texas where her husband Jim had accepted a teaching position in the College of Music at, now, the University of North Texas, Cheryl decided to branch out! Through the UNT College of Business, she completed with honors a Master's degree in computer science.

Armed with new skills at a time computers were burgeoning, Cheryl accepted a position with ARCO in Dallas. She was one of their computer go-to's and in addition, she made time to conduct the company chorus.

When ARCO closed, Cheryl joined American Airlines. There, she continued using her computer skills traveling the world, designing programs and teaching new computer languages to AA employees.

Cheryl and her husband Jim loved to travel. In their countless trips abroad traveling by planes, trains, automobiles, ships, buses, camels and their own two feet, they circumvented the globe. Early plans for their next excursion were formulating by the time they reached home.

Cheryl was as loyal a friend as one could ever hope to have. That loyalty, coupled with sweet affection, and love were unbending. She willingly shared her heart, her wit and laughter.

Cheryl Gillespie was preceded in death by her parents, her brother George Kenneth Hopkins and her nephew, George Kenneth Hopkins, Jr. She is survived by the husband she treasured, Dr. James E. Gillespie

Her memorial service will be held at 11:00, a.m. on Thursday, June 26, 2025 in Cole Chapel at First United Methodist Church, 201 S Locust, Denton, Texas.

If you wish, donations in her memory may be made to the UNT College of Music James E. Gillespie Clarinet Scholarship, to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee or to the charity of your choice.