The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

Carrie Cheatham peacefully passed away early in the morning February 2 at her home in Caldwell, Idaho, with her family by her side, after a long battle with a severe lung infection.

Carrie started her adventurous life in Salem, Oregon and, after finishing high school and college, she married the love of her life, Jim, in 1968. She worked as a dental assistant, office manager, and a dispatcher for a large heating and cooling company before leaving Salem in 1978 with her husband and young son to move to Sisters after purchasing The Gallery Restaurant. For years Carrie and Jim worked as a team managing the restaurant until they retired.

Carrie was an avid and accomplished horsewoman, enjoying riding trails and the beach with her girlfriends, and she participated in a precision drill team that performed at many rodeos around the state. She was also the president of the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce and a volunteer for the Sisters Rodeo.

In addition, Carrie enjoyed snowmobiling, traveling, driving hot rods, and driving the Baja to her winter home in Cabo San Lucus. In her later years, she and Jim would jet boat up the Salmon River in Idaho to the family cabin in the Frank Church Wilderness.

Carrie was one of a kind. She called a spade a spade and her favorite phrase was “get over it.” She was kind and generous when needed and possessed an infectious laugh we will never forget. She had exquisite taste and took pride in her homes. Carrie was loved and admired by many and surely will be missed.

She was preceded in death by her mother and father; brothers Mike and Donald; and her sister Cindy.

She is survived by her loving husband of 53 years, Jim; her son Jeff and daughter-in-law Genene; her sisters Linda, Sue, Nancy, Robin, Gretchen, Becky; and her brother Joe.

We will raise a glass of wine in Carrie’s honor with her friends and loved ones later this summer.

RIP my friend.