Westtown HS Grad, 24, Teacher And World Traveler, Passes Away

Image and obituary via Williams Bergey Koffel Funeral Home

WEST CHESTER, PA — Cherylyn Nicole Alderfer, 24, recently of Durango Colorado passed away on the afternoon of May 11, 2018. Cherylyn lost the battle with depression following recovery from a traumatic brain injury last year. Born November 15, 1993 in Denver, Colorado, she grew up in Pennsylvania with her father, Brent Alderfer, step-mother, Deirdre Alderfer and younger siblings, Aiden (13), Andrew (10), Aleesia (8) and Adeline Alderfer (5). She is also survived by paternal grandmother, Gladys (Henning) Alderfer, Souderton, PA, and two twin brothers, Lucas and Andre Greve (30), of Denver, Colorado. She was preceded in death by her mother, Cheryl D. Neufeld in 1995.

Cherylyn graduated from Westtown High School in West Chester, PA in 2012, and received her bachelor’s degree in eco-philosophy from Colorado College in 2016. She completed an exchange semester in Costa Rica in high school and service trips throughout her life to Bangladesh, Middle East, and Tanzania, Africa. Following college, she worked for two seasons at Soaring Treetop Adventures of Durango, Colorado, and co-taught special needs children at the local public school.

Cherylyn had a passion for the outdoors and the beauty of nature and cycles of life. She hiked and camped, and enjoyed learning and teaching about trees and ecosystems, with a special affection for birds. She enjoyed music and dance, and created and enjoyed poetry, crafts and photography, particularly of the outdoors. She treasured strong friendships and family who remember her peaceful spirit and quick laugh.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend memorial services for Cherylyn on Friday, May 18, 2018 at 7PM Eastern Time at Blooming Glen Mennonite Church, 713 Blooming Glen Road, Blooming Glen, PA, where family will receive friends from 5:30PM until 6:45PM, with food and sharing to follow the service, and Saturday, May 26, 2018 at 11AM Mountain Time at Shove Chapel, 1010 N. Nevada Avenue, on the campus of Colorado College in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with food and sharing to follow. A green burial will take place in Fairview Cemetery, Colorado Springs, near the College with family present. Memorial contributions are welcomed in Cherylyn’s memory to Friends of Cheyenne Canyon at cheyennecanon.org and to the National Audubon Society at audubon.org.