Cheranne Lyn Willoughby died unexpectedly on Sunday, June 21. She was 33 years old.

Born at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital on August 7, 1981, Cheranne graduated from Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School in the class of 2000, where she was a member of the football cheerleader’s squad from her sophomore year through her senior year. At the time of her death she was living in Fairhaven and working as a customer representative/cashier at the North Dartmouth BJ’s Wholesale Club, while enrolled in Kaplan University’s undergraduate degree program in business management.

Family and friends were her passion and delight; she was to everybody exactly what they needed, which meant something different to each person. She was a friend and an example, well-known as a loyal and true comrade. Cheranne is remembered by her beloved six-year-old daughter, Keira Anne Willoughby, as a “nice mommy, who did fun things with me.” Photograph displays attested to Cheranne’s popularity, with each one showing a different side of her charismatic personality: sharing good times with friends, glammed up for the prom, posing for a formal family photo, or dyeing Easter eggs with her little daughter. Her family will always remember her infectious smile and her loving and caring personality, and the way she lit up the room with her presence.

Cheranne leaves behind the love of her life, her six-year-old daughter Keira Anne Willoughby, her parents Edmund and Deborah Willoughby, and her brother Edmund Willoughby 2nd; her aunt Theresa King of Santa Ana, Calif.; her uncles David Willoughby of Edgartown, George King Jr. of Santa Ana, Calif., Grafton King and Robert King of Vineyard Haven; and numerous cousins.

She is predeceased by her grandparents Freeman and Rita Willoughby and George and Dorothea King and her aunt and uncle, Freeman 2nd and Eda Willoughby. Cheranne was laid to rest in the New Westside Cemetery on June 27 following a memorial mass at St. Elizabeth’s Roman Catholic Church and was interred according to Roman Catholic rites alongside her paternal grandparents, Freeman and Rita Willoughby. The crowd lingered long after the conclusion of the graveside service, reluctant to say a final farewell.

As a passionate rescuer of animals of all species, sizes and temperaments, Cheranne was especially fond of her dog Deabo, whom she rescued as a pup and cared for until his passing. Donations may be made in her name to the Martha’s Vineyard Animal Shelter at PO Box 1829, Edgartown, MA 02539.