Born Anne Catherine Slyker on January 8th, 1944, Anne was the third child and first daughter born to Francis Joseph Slyker and Helen Ruth Sternberger Slyker. Their young family lived and grew in a small house in East Detroit, Michigan, which Francis had helped to build. When young Anne was just seven years old she was struck with rheumatic fever and was bedridden for a year. This brutal disease left her with heart damage which would go undetected for the next five decades.
Graduating in 1961 from East Detroit High School, Anne’s enthusiastic desire to radically love God had already taken root and started to bloom. In her senior year of high school she began attending charismatic prayer meetings early Thursday mornings at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Ann Arbor, necessitating that she wake at 4:00 am so that she could carpool there and back from her home in East Detroit. After high school graduation, Anne attended the University of Detroit, graduating in 1964 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy and a certification to teach middle school mathematics. It was at the university that she met many of her lifelong friends and the number of lives that she touched began to increase exponentially. Here she dove into her new freedom, exhausting every opportunity to live life in joyful abandonment and service to God. On many Saturdays throughout her college years, she and her friend Carol drove together into inner-city Detroit, where they gathered up underprivileged children, often picking them up at their homes, loved them, introduced them to Jesus and Our Blessed Mother, gifted them Rosaries, and taught them to pray. It was also at the university that she met a handsome young scholar named Dennis Michael Cherney, a former seminarian and fellow Philosophy major. After a brief courtship and engagement, she and Dennis were married on August 19th, 1966.
In the early years of marriage, before the children started to arrive, Anne used her teaching certificate to teach large classes of middle school students in Detroit inner-city schools. Then, in 1968, Anne and Dennis were thrilled to welcome their first child, James, and Anne stopped teaching at the school to care for her family. Over the next five years she would have two more boys and a girl. In 1975, the growing family moved from their home in Detroit to Ann Arbor, where they eventually had six more children. The youngest, Francis, was born in 1986 when she was 42 years old. In total, she would bring seven sons and three daughters into the world, several of them by planned home birth. In 1975, the family became parishioners at St. Thomas the Apostle Church and regularly attended prayer meetings and other events hosted by the charismatic Christian Word of God community. Anne stayed home devoting herself to raising her children to love God in the Catholic faith, but also finding time and energy to devote to corporal works of mercy and social justice causes, especially the Pro-Life movement, which was so very dear to her heart.
As a wife and mother of a large brood, Anne was frugal, never wasting a thing. She recycled long before it was fashionable, reusing what she could. Every day she fed her family of 12 nutritious (if not always delicious 😉 meals for pennies, enabling them to live well on just Dennis’ salary as a teacher. She had a knack for organizational systems to help keep her household running smoothly and teach her kids personal responsibility; colors and patterns differentiated each child’s table settings and laundry accessories. She pursued simplicity in daily life, valuing traditional ways of doing things that almost always involved more physical labor and less technology. She found goodness spending time in hard work, especially if it involved service to others. She valued education, loved learning, and admired knowledge, while at the same time realizing that the varied temperaments and learning styles of her children required different types of schooling. She home schooled some of them when that was what they needed at the time. She was so present to her children, and gave them consistency they could rely on, an ear to bend in their struggles, a shoulder to cry on in pain, a ready warm embrace when needed, and always, always a loving smile. Reading to them and having picnics were daily activities she often enjoyed with her kids. In motherhood she was in her element, and she found abounding joy.
Anne was also known for her creativity and resourcefulness in making everything special. Homemade gifts were a given, especially at Christmas or at the birth of a new infant. Anyone she knew that had a baby got a spaghetti dinner hand delivered, which was not complete without homemade apple pie for dessert. She created individualized baby quilts for every single one of her grandchildren, and for many other new babies over her lifetime. She sewed costumes for Halloween and plays, made clothes for herself and her children for special occasions, and crafted handmade Christmas gifts by the dozen many years. That did not include the thousands of Christmas cookies she baked each year to distribute in person to her family and friends. She also maintained correspondence with countless people over her lifetime, sending and receiving hundreds of Christmas cards for many years. She organized events and performances (which often involved her or her children singing) for myriad special occasions, dreaming up unique and often elaborate schemes, and executing them with seeming ease and great delight. She had a tune to sing for every occasion, and never hesitated to break out in song, especially to praise God in difficult moments. When her grandchildren came along she delighted in every single precious, unique life in such a demonstrative way that they could never doubt their inherent value or her inexhaustible love. She remembered every single one of them on their birthdays and holidays with thoughtful cards, meaningful gifts, and genuine affection, as she did her own children and Godchildren.
After her children were grown, or at least well on their way, Anne took on new endeavors with vigor. She enrolled in several consecutive semesters of a vocal performance class at Washtenaw Community College, and performed with her daughter in WCC’s 2001 production of Guys and Dolls. Around this time Anne also resumed a favorite enterprise which she had enjoyed in college — that of taking bicycle journeys to ambitious destinations. She had done at least two of these major excursions in her youth, pedaling with her friend from East Detroit to Stratford, Ontario, and also to Point Pelee, Canada, where they had slept under the stars. It was more than thirty years later, in her mid 50s, that she cycled from Ann Arbor to Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, on two separate occasions with one of her daughters. As another one of her great fascinations had always been family ancestry, Anne flew to Germany at age 56, renting a car to visit churches in remote villages and large cities. There she knocked on the doors of strangers and combed through archaic baptismal records to learn about the individuals who had come before her and made her own life possible.
Her insatiable love of learning led her in her early 60s, to travel to the John Paul II Institute on Marriage and the Family in Washington DC and complete her Master’s Degree in Theological Studies. Shortly thereafter, she wrote and published her book, “Supernatural Family Planning,” as a way of sharing how she believed faith should inform our approach to parenthood and fuel openness to life in marriage. Later, she would return to Washtenaw Community College to complete a college Chemistry class, as she had never studied that subject at college-level. This was a situation she had long wanted to remedy, as both of her parents had been chemists.
Her appetite for adventure coupled with her intense love of Christ prompted her to make at least six pilgrimages to the Holy Land. Two of these pilgrimages involved rigorous (and somewhat dangerous) self-plotted walking tours across Israel, to follow as closely as possible in the literal footprints of Jesus. She loved Israel so much that she was determined to take her entire family with her some day. That dream was finally realized in 1998, when she and Dennis took a substantial loan from her mother, hired their dear friend Paul Melton as an experienced tour guide, and chartered their own custom tour of Israel and the Sinai Peninsula, with all of their children, children’s spouses, and 2 grandchildren. Of course, Anne made sure to bring along a priest so that her group could celebrate daily Mass at every holy site.
That same drive led her to walk the renowned Camino de Santiago, or the Way of St. James, in her late 60s. At that point in her life, she had already recovered from two hip replacements and one open heart surgery to replace her mitral valve. Her “Camino” journey started in southern France, traversed the Pyrenees Mountains, crossed Spain, and concluded at Santiago de Compostela on the Atlantic Coast. It took at least 6 weeks for her to hike the almost 500 mile trek, but she succeeded handily. She would attempt this pilgrimage a second time several years later, but had to relinquish this hope and return home after only a few days, when the sustained mountain climbing triggered congestive heart failure symptoms. She came home with a smile, glad to be alive, and content that she had done her best.
Anne saw the face of Christ in every person she encountered. She had a heart to listen to the hurting, and took phone calls lasting sometimes hours from acquaintances who were mentally or emotionally distressed. She gave generously and wholeheartedly anything that was in her power to give when someone was in need. Material goods were often in limited supply for her, and yet she would give those eagerly and without hesitation, trusting God to take care of her. But even more than that were the gifts that she gave of herself, of her time, and of service to her fellow human beings. She never expected anything in return. Her reward was the joy she received through loving. She cared for more than one elderly relative in their last years, bringing them into her home and caring for them in every aspect until their final moment on earth. There was always a room in the Cherney house for anyone who needed a place to stay, free of charge. Later in life, she gave up her own room and bed to a local homeless woman for almost two years while she herself slept on the couch. She was the truest of friends and a source of blessing to so many.
As a woman of great integrity, she had principles of iron and a steadfast commitment to justice and truth; she did what needed to be done and said what needed to be said to uphold that order in the world around her. She would not let herself be deterred by the fact that it was often quite difficult or uncomfortable to do so. She visited and wrote letters to the imprisoned, and lovingly admonished those she believed to be endangering their souls. She had a great love for the Jewish people, as her Savior was one of them. She dedicated part of her Saturday mornings for many years in the later part of her life to peacefully counter-protesting, whatever the weather, outside the Hebrew synagogue in Ann Arbor, where there was a regular anti-semitic demonstration. The synagogue was so appreciative of her support that many of the members kept up friendships and correspondence with Anne for the remainder of her life. To this day they continue to express to the family how much it meant to them that she made that consistent declaration of solidarity and love. Even the protesters on the other side admired her and treated her with respect.
A true champion of the Pro-Life movement in America ever since the Roe v. Wade decision, Anne devoted enormous amounts of time and energy to advocate for the voiceless and defenseless unborn children. She canvassed neighborhoods distributing literature, picketed at abortion clinics, marched many years in the March for Life in Washington DC, was a sidewalk counselor, participated in Operation Rescue, and lovingly offered her assistance to new mothers who had chosen to keep their babies. She organized and recruited people for 24 hour prayer vigils on the Roe v. Wade anniversary to pray for the protection of the most vulnerable. She stood outside an abortion clinic and prayed Rosaries every Saturday morning for many years.
Anne had an unstoppable “can-do” attitude, hardly daunted by challenges and setbacks. She lived joyfully in the moment, reminding herself to pray constantly for God’s will to be done, and for the strength to accept it. She adjusted gracefully to so many unexpected adversities, and came out smiling almost every time. She could make everyone she encountered feel special, with blue eyes that would light up when they saw them and a sincere acceptance in her smile. She never failed to supply a word of encouragement to the disheartened or an exhortation to the timid to tackle a challenge. She relished fun and laughter as if they were some of the sweetest things in life. She had a keen sense of humor and loved jokes, especially a good pun. Her laughter was lilting and infectious. She threw herself into life with abandon, seizing every opportunity for adventure and undertaking, without reservation, everything she deemed worthwhile. She held nothing back. She showered love in abundance. Her zest for life, all life, was irrepressible. She delighted in things that were “neat” or “exciting,” no matter how small or insignificant they may have seemed to others. She marveled at the greatness of creation and reveled in the beauty of nature. Her capacity to forgive was nothing short of divine.
Her unbridled spirit and effusive joy were matched only by her humility and submission to the divine will of her Creator. Even in her last years, weeks, and days, when her brain was riddled by dementia, and her body broken and spent, she hardly complained, but expressed regularly how grateful she was to have a good night’s sleep, be surrounded and cared for by family, especially that of her daughter, Patricia Blake, and to be able to receive her Lord in the Holy Eucharist daily. In her last days, when the discomfort of her failing organs started to become insufferable, she could be heard whispering to herself, “Offer it up! Offer it up!” Finally, after patiently enduring several exhausting months of end-stage heart failure, she valiantly and compliantly went home to her Heavenly Father on the morning of April 11, 2025. She was in her earthly home, surrounded by almost every one of her children and many of her grandchildren. They prayed with and sang to her unceasingly in those final hours, and as they concluded the refrain of one of her favorite hymns, “Morning Has Broken,” she breathed her precious final breath.
Anne was a force for goodness, a beacon of light, and a heroine to so many. The beauty and passion of her life changed the people she encountered and left a distinct impact on all who knew her. We have great hope that now she is adding her distinct brightness to the Heavenly realms. Heavenly Father, we praise you and thank you so much for the tremendous gift Anne Catherine has been to us. May we see her again soon and never again be separated from her or You in the eternal Beatific celebration.
Anne was preceded in death by her parents, Francis and Helen Slyker, her sister Martha Brownlie, and her four children who went home to the Lord before birth.
She is survived by her husband, Dennis Cherney; her children, James (Christine Bauer) Cherney, Joseph (Erika) Cherney, Patricia (David) Blake, John (Theresa) Cherney, Catherine (Kevin) Rochette, Paul (Nicola) Cherney, Michael (Yarimar) Cherney, Linda (Jacob) Kojiro, Alan (Veronica) Cherney, and Francis Cherney. She leaves behind forty-four grandchildren and one great-grandchild. She is also survived by siblings Francis, Louis, and Mary Slyker.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to any of Anne’s favorite charities:
Family Life Services
International Fellowship of Christians and Jews
Voice of the Martyrs
Matt Staver of Liberty Counsel
Eric Watt of RUN Ministries
Mike Evans of Friends of Zion
Rabbi Eckstein of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews
Wycliffe Associates
The Navigators
Cross Catholic Outreach
We appreciate your prayers for Anne and for her family. The funeral information is below.
Visitation A:
Tuesday at 5pm at Christ The King Catholic Church, 4000 Ave Maria Dr, Ann Arbor.
Will include sharing from 6-7, optional praise and worship in the church from 7-7:30, rosary at 7:30.
Visitation B:
Wednesday, 10am at Christ The King Catholic Church, Ann Arbor
Funeral Mass:
Wednesday, 11am at Christ The King Catholic Church, Ann Arbor
Committal Ceremony following funeral
Arborcrest Memorial Park, 2521 Glazier Way, Ann Arbor
Luncheon in CTK gym following burial. Additional sharing opportunities at lunch.