Blue Hill
Charisse “Cherry” Pauline Stanko, 74, passed away peacefully Monday, Feb. 28, after a lifelong battle with Type 1 diabetes. She was born Nov. 28, 1947, in Blue Hill, where she was raised and lived for her entire life. She was the oldest of six children, helping her parents, Mike and Mary Astbury, to raise her four sisters and brother in a small farmhouse just up the hill from town on Union Street. Growing up, she attended the First Baptist Church in Blue Hill, and later the South Penobscot Baptist Church in Penobscot.
She attended Blue Hill Consolidated School, George Stevens Academy and the University of Maine at Orono. While she was at UMaine, she found a special tutor in her hometown she took a liking to, Ron Stanko, who became her husband in 1969. She later completed her master’s degree at the University of Maine in counselor education. Ron and Cherry celebrated their 53rd anniversary several months ago.
Cherry touched the hearts of many in her calling to care for others as a teacher at Lamoine Elementary School and at Blue Hill Consolidated, a guidance counselor in Brooksville, Orland, Searsport/Stockton Springs and Blue Hill, and as an independent psychotherapist serving the Bangor area.
Cherry was a gifted seamstress as well, creating hand-tailored clothes and wedding dresses, and at one point even opened a fabric store in town. She crocheted continuously, even after losing her sight several years ago, giving countless blankets to her family, friends and those in need. As a girl she loved Girl Scouts, and trained and worked with horses for many years. She and her husband lived on a small farm in North Blue Hill and kept horses, ponies, sheep, chickens, turkeys and even pygmy goats.
Cherry is survived by her husband, Ronald Stanko, her daughter and son-in-law, Samantha and Joshua Jones, their grandson Galen, and their beloved pug, Kindle. Her extended family includes: sister Terry Mattson and brother-in-law Bruce, and their children: Matthew and his wife, Amy, Katye LaCasse and her husband, Jim, Brock Mattson and his wife, Jessica, Chad Mattson and his wife, Katie, and Leah; brother, Michael Astbury, and sister-in-law Pat and their children: Shelly Schildroth and her husband, Cory, Michael and his wife, Jess, and Josh and his wife, Kim; sister Patty Clapp and brother-in-law Rob, and their children: Sarah Gribbin and her husband, David, Mark, Lydia Hughey and her husband, Aaron, and Anna; sister Karen Doten and her brother-in-law Paul, and their children: Eben Doten and his wife, Whitney, Kalyn Griffin and her husband, Josh, and Alex and his wife, Amy; sister MaryAnn Lord and brother-in-law Kerry and their children: Jasmine Arseneau and her husband, Andrew, Josiah and his wife, Savannah, Kerisa Potter and her husband, Christopher, Abby, Rachel Kaly and her husband, Aaron, and Bethany and her fiancé Austin Sargent; and a great- many grand-nephews and nieces.
Services will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 5, 2022, at the First Baptist Church of Blue Hill, with a private family reception to follow the service. A livestream will be available at Brookings-Smith.com. Gifts in Cherry’s memory may be sent to The Ark Animal Shelter at P.O. Box 276, Cherryfield, ME 04622.