City of Oaks Funeral Home & Cremation
Obituary
Cheryl Anne (Atkinson) Clark
Durham, North Carolina
Age 67.
Died 03/21/2026.
Cheryl Anne (Atkinson) Clark, 67, of Durham, NC, died from ovarian cancer at her home on March 21, 2026.
Cherie was born January 5, 1959, in Pittsburgh, PA to parents Anna May (Tolbert) Tucker and James Richard Atkinson, Sr. (both deceased). Cherie is survived by her husband, John Albert Clark, her brother, James Richard Atkinson, Jr. and her half sister and brother (through her father) Rhonda Ranae (Atkinson) Winn and William Henry Atkinson (respectively).
Cherie and John were married on May 15, 1993 in Lawrence, Kansas. She obtained her Associate of Arts degree from Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, KS in July, 1994.
Although Cherie and John had no children, they do have cats: Oscar, Grace, Annie, Cosmo and Pepper.
Cherie worked as a bookseller at Mr. Mike’s Books beginning in 2009, where she shared her love of reading with customers and colleagues alike. Books were one of her lifelong passions, and she found joy in stories, learning, and connecting with others through literature.
She also loved genealogy, photography, and discovering the stories that connected people across generations. Her curiosity about the world and appreciation for life’s details enriched the lives of those around her.
One accomplishment that I think is the coolest thing ever is that Cherie was able to reconnect her mother with her mother‘s birth family through her genealogy research. Many of her mother’s siblings were still living and we had a family reunion. She also reconnected cousins on her father’s side with their birth families. Genealogy was more of a living testament than one of ancient roots to Cherie.
Cherie was a kind and thoughtful person whose quiet warmth touched everyone who knew her. She will be remembered most for simply being a good person — generous of spirit, caring, and deeply genuine.
Cherie’s favorite quote was “Everything in moderation, including moderation” by Oscar Wilde. This quote really described her personal philosophy of living.
Her memory will live on through the love she gave, the lives she touched, and the quiet goodness she carried through the world.
In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to Independent Animal Rescue of Durham, North Carolina at http://animalrescue.net
I plan to have a memorial service for Cherie in midsummer 2026. I will let everyone know the details when I have more information.
For additional information or for service details, please reach out to the family directly.
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City of Oaks Cremation and Funeral Home is a full-service funeral home in Raleigh, serving all of North Carolina and beyond. We provide an alternative to costly funeral homes and every day we help families in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and all over North Carolina make simple, affordable funeral arrangements.
Simply having to reach out to a funeral home can feel overwhelming. Our goal is to simplify the entire funeral home experience and make the process as easy as possible. We hope to eliminate any unnecessary surprises by publishing our total cost and the services we provide directly on our website. All of our obituaries are provided free of charge as a way to help families celebrate and commemorate the lives of their loved ones.
Our Promise
Apples to Apples
Just like all other licensed funeral homes in North Carolina, City of Oaks Cremation, LLC is regulated by the NC Board of Funeral Service.
The same laws that apply to the big corporate funeral homes also apply to the modest independently owned firms like ours. All crematories in North Carolina, regardless of who owns them, are inspected annually by the state and must adhere to the same rules and laws.
Genuine Care
We're committed to providing families within our community unsurpassed service before, during and after the time of loss.
Our staff will provide clear communication to your family through each step as we move forward from the original phone call notifying us of a death to the time we deliver the urn back to your family. We will treat your family with the utmost respect, as we honor the wishes of your loved one.
We promise to make this process affordable and as endurable as possible.
State Wide
Our Funeral Home is located in Wake County NC; however, we provide our services to families throughout the entire State.
Unlike other funeral homes, we don't charge an additional mileage fee. Regardless of what county you live in, we can help your family with making simple, affordable funeral arrangements. From Asheville to Wilmington, we're proud to help families statewide.
Our Services
$1196.75
Nobody likes surprise costs added in at the last minute. We guarantee you will not find any hidden charges here. We include everything you need for a simple or direct cremation. Simple, affordable and reliable. We have not changed the cost of our direct cremation service since we opened City of Oaks in 2012.
$2875.66
We offer the option of choosing how you receive your loved ones remains. Selecting our Direct Cremation with Solidified Remains option is a beautiful way to transform cremated remains into 40-60 “stones” that you can hold.
$1917.84
City of Oaks Funeral Home and Cremation provides an affordable cremation option with onsite visitation. Nobody likes surprise costs added in at the last minute. We guarantee you will not find any hidden charges here. Simple, affordable and reliable.
$1596.75
City of Oaks Funeral Home and Cremation provides an affordable cremation with a private family viewing. A private family viewing allows up to 10 immediate family members or friends to spend time with a loved one when a public visitation is not preferred.
$2497.50
An immediate burial has the same end result as a traditional burial; however, we have eliminated the extra (sometimes unnecessary) services prior to getting to the cemetery. Not everyone wants an open casket for viewing or a limousine for the family. Despite the term immediate, we can move as fast as you need or as slow as you like. This option simply allows you to save money by eliminating some of the fancy extras at the funeral home.
$6081.48
We offer the same traditional funeral services as the big corporately owned funeral homes in the area; however, we cost about half the amount. You might consider a traditional funeral service if your family is looking for an open casket visitation, a traditional church service or a funeral service in the funeral home's chapel. A traditional funeral service can be altered to fit the needs of your family.
$3033.75
This establishment is one of a select number of funeral homes who meet the criteria for providing green funeral service by the Green Burial Council; a tax-exempt, nonprofit organization working to encourage environmentally sustainability in the field of funeral service. Our Green options allow for a funeral to take place without the use of toxic and non-biodegradable materials/chemicals.
$2640.59
As an alternative to traditional cremation, City of Oaks Funeral Home offers Alkaline Hydrolysis. The Alkaline Hydrolysis process uses a solution of water and potassium hydroxide to facilitate natural decomposition.