Obituary of Cheryl Ann Govoni

Cheryl Ann Govoni, a Rowayton-based creative director and artist who designed products for some of the country's top retailers and touched many lives with her vivacious warmth, died March 4 in Greenwich Hospital after a long, gallant battle with a rare, aggressive cancer. Mrs. Govoni was born in Dover, NH on December 1, 1957 to the late Robert and Gloria Plourde. After attending Dover High School and participating on the cheerleader, skiing, and tennis teams, she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting from the University of New Hampshire. She furthered her studies at The Kansas City Art Institute, The Boston Art Institute, and Rhode Island School of Design. A versatile painter and illustrator, she landed her first job in 1979 at Hallmark Cards in Kansas City, planning and designing premier greeting card lines, and went on to design products for leading stationery, gift, and paper tableware companies in the United States and England. While freelancing in New York City, she wrote and designed eight baby books, including a number of best-sellers for Random House. As a consulting art director for C.R. Gibson in Norwalk, she spearheaded development of numerous product lines and revamped the firm's entire Christmas/Holiday boxed card business. Mrs. Govoni's last project was called Modern Botanicals, a collection of limited edition prints, fueled by her love of nature, vibrant color, and the intimate observation of line, shape, and unfolding organic forms. A number of those works were on display at stores in New Canaan and Nantucket at the time of her death. A lifelong boating enthusiast, Mrs. Govoni spent a few years as the entertainment chair at the Norwalk Yacht Club planning and staging a number of memorable parties. In 2003, the Rowayton Civic Association chose her design for commemorative t-shirts sold at its biggest fundraiser, the River Ramble. Friends and family remember her for her quick smile, ready hug, and engaging spirit that lighted every room she entered. "Then there's her style," said one friend from Pound Ridge, NY. "How many rooms are colorful and chic because you designed and dressed them? How many of them are elevated to gallery status by the amazing artwork you created that hangs on their walls." Shortly before Valentine's Day, another friend wrote Mrs. Govoni saying, "The artist in you--that spirit in touch with nature, emotions, and creativity--makes you a uniquely caring and joyous friend. There is no one better to talk to and laugh with about life, design, and of course, children." When Mrs. Govoni married Stephen Govoni in 2000, the wedding party included his two young children, Neil and Claire, whose birth mom died two years earlier. "The fact that she stepped in after that tragedy speaks volumes about her compassion and motherly love," said a business associate. In addition to her husband and children, Mrs. Govoni is survived by her brother Robert Plourde Jr., of Dover, NH, her stepsister-in-law Jane Rudden of Albany, NY, and numerous aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews in southern New Hampshire. Calling hours will be held at the Edward Lawrence Funeral Home, 2119 Post Road, Darien on Friday, March 8, 2013 from 5:00 to 8:00 PM. A Funeral Service will be held at the United Church of Rowayton, 210 Rowayton Avenue, Rowayton on Saturday, March 9, 2013 at 10:00 AM with Pastor Jennifer Morrow from the Rowayton United Methodist Church. Burial will follow at Spring Grove Cemetery, Darien. In lieu of flowers, contributions are suggested to the Sarcoma Alliance for Research Through Collaboration (SARC), 24 Frank Lloyd Wright Drive, Lobby A, Suite 3100 | Ann Arbor, MI 48106. Funeral Home: Edward Lawrence Funeral Home 2119 Post Road Darien, CT USA 06820