Cheris Nelson Losee February 1, 1952 - June 22, 2026

Cheris Nelson Losee was born February 1, 1952, to Joseph Arthur Nelson and Phyllis Mae White Nelson, the oldest of her siblings, Sharla Jean, and Joseph Gregg. She grew up in Spanish Fork, Utah, in the house her dad built next door to her Grandpa Joseph “Judge” Nelson. “Che” as her dad called her, was a mix of tomboy and girly-girl, who liked climbing trees, hunting for night crawlers, fishing with her dad, dancing (from ballet to tap to jazz), snow skiing, bowling, golfing, and riding the horses at her Grandfather White’s cattle feedyard. In her younger years, she learned to play the piano (hated practicing) and was a fair pianist and organist. She graduated Spanish Fork High School with High Honors, with the Class of 1970, where she served as Senior Class Secretary, and was involved in Pep Team, Honor Society, Future Business Leaders, and other school clubs. She attended BYU on a scholarship.

She married her high school sweetheart, Michael L. Losee, on September 7, 1971, in the Manti Utah Temple. They lived in Spanish Fork for a couple of years, then bought a little two-bedroom home on an acre in “downtown” Lake Shore, Utah, where their three sons Matt, Kurt, and Josh grew up, provided with numerous horses, dogs, cats, goats and chickens. Michael divorced her in July 2011, after 44 years together and a lot of miles traveled.

Cheris loved riding horses her entire life. She was a charter organizer and long-time member of the Saddle Dusters ladies western riding club. For many years, she was the adult secretary of South Utah County High School Rodeo Association. She was a 4-H Horse Program leader, as well as being called upon to judge 4-H horse shows and both high school and city rodeo queen contests. She still loved everything horses and competing herself, but spent most of her time over the years, and as her sons became older, then her grandkids, following and watching them compete in basketball, team roping, barrel racing, baseball, and accelerated and Spanish Fork High School softball fast pitch. She enjoyed camping, 4-wheeling, and traveling to rodeos and ballgames with her family, and watching movies, or playing cards or board games with them. She also liked crafting, going to musical plays, reading and crocheting (having created innumerable afghans, beanies, booties & doll clothes for family and charity. She also had a life-long soft spot for dogs and cats, having owned many of those beloved fur-babies (or rather, they kept her as their “wait staff”) over the years.

Her career in banking began, as part of the high school business class curriculum, in September 1969, where she interned at The Bank of Spanish Fork. She attended BYU for a year, then came back on June 1, 1971, to The Bank of Spanish Fork which became Zions Bank. She worked in banking, including in customer service/bookkeeping, as an executive secretary, a loan officer, and a financial services representative for a combined 50 years, retiring in March 2020. While still working in banking, she worked several years as a part-time weekend stint as an obituary clerk for The Daily Herald newspaper. Then in 2009, and while still working in banking, she went to work part-time at Walker Funeral Home as the Saturday receptionist/secretary (later in 2020, full-time for a while, until January 2024, when she returned to part-time work on Saturdays and Mondays).

Cheris moved “back to town” Spanish Fork in 2014. In 2023, she re-connected with Terry Gleave, of Price, Utah, whom she worked with briefly in 1973; and, whom over the years, had crossed paths with occasionally at rodeos as well as while her three boys and his three boys were competing in 4-H horse shows and high school rodeos. She enjoyed her older years just hanging out or going out to eat with him, especially having fun at the Greek Festival in Price every July, and always wanting one more fishing trip.

Cheris is survived by two of her three sons: Matthew Lee “Matt” Losee (and Candice Weight Losee), of Spanish Fork (Lake Shore), Utah; and Joshua Grant “Josh” Losee of Spanish Fork, Utah. She also has four grandchildren, whom she loved spoiling: Ashlyn Rylee Losee and Treyven Michael Losee of Spanish Fork (Lake Shore), Utah; and Mason Kent Scott and Talon Kurt Losee of Nephi, Utah. She is also survived by her favorite sister, Sharla Jean Nelson Thomas (M. Jay Thomas) of Spanish Fork, Utah; and her favorite brother, Joseph Gregg Nelson of Provo, Utah; and eight cousins of the Nelson and White families whom she was very close to during their growing up years. She was preceded in death by her son, Kurt Nelson Losee, in February 2021; and by her parents, Joe and Phyllis Nelson; her grandparents: Grant W. and Elsie Swenson White; and Joseph E. and Marie Hales Nelson; her sister-in-law, Linda Adams Nelson; uncles and aunts: Sterling and Eva Jean Vincent Nelson; Thelma Marie Nelson; Neal and Marian Nelson Faux; Fred and Patricia Moody White; Karen White (and Jim) Thorn; her cousins: A Reid Nelson and Barbara Faux Call; as well as her ex-husband, Michael L. Losee, in 2013; and her in-laws, Owen G. and Berniece Porter Losee.

A visitation in Cheris’ honor will be held on Thursday, June 25, 2026, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Walker Funeral Home, 187 South Main Street in Spanish Fork, Utah. A second viewing will take place the following morning, Friday, June 26, 2026, from 9:45 to 10:45 a.m., at the same location. Her funeral service will begin immediately afterward at 11:00 a.m.