Herbert Lawrence Cheever

Obituary of Herbert Cheever Herbert Cheever returned to his creator surrounded by his wife and family on April 25, 2015. He was born to Herbert Ward and Mary (Derry) Cheever in Worcester, MA. His parents preceded him in death. He is survived by his wife Roberta, his brother Gerald and wife Katie, his brother Lawrence, his sister Mary Jane and Jay Eager, seven nieces and nephews, and seven grandnieces and grandnephews, his brother in law Lewis R. Sullivan and his sister in law Dorothy Sullivan. He took great pride in the assistance he gave to his nephews and nieces and the guidance he gave to families that needed a loving hand. He is also survived by all his loving friends. He attended school in Boylston MA and upon graduating from High School he went to the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He graduated with a BS in Mechanical Engineering. He did graduate certification work at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). After graduating from college he took a job with Pratt & Whitney Engineering until he was drafted into the U S Army. He served at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland. Completing his military service he accepted a civilian engineering position at the HEL (Human Engineering Lab) at APG. He later transferred to the AMSA (Army Material System Analysis Lab). During his 35 year career he received many awards and recognition for his contribution to designing a better product for the war fighter. His work at HEL and AMSA, with others, saved many service men's lives in combat for the U.S. Military and this country. He retired in 2004. He loved travel and cruises. He toured Europe and conducted research in Alaska, California, New Mexico and Arizona. He summered as a child and later life in Dennis and Chatham MA. During his summering he met the love of his life Roberta Sullivan and married her in Chatham, MA. They lived in Bel Air, Maryland. After his retirement, they moved to The Villages in Fl. He was married for 42years. He served St. Vincent de Paul Church as an usher and enjoyed the many friends that he made doing this. Herbert was a member of the Knights of Columbus at St. Vincent de Paul Church and The American Legion Veterans Memorial Post in Lady Lake Fl. He also was a member of the Parr Club with the Francis Ouimett scholarship program and was instrumental in starting the U Of MA Amherst scholarship in memory of his engineering professor. He loved Opera and classical music. He loved that the Villages had Opera and a philharmonic orchestra and spent many hours attending the Opera dinners and concerts. He liked gardening and had a special interest in cactus. During his travels he frequently purchased cacti for his garden. He created a number of large cactus bed gardens at his house in The Villages. For years he practiced composting and building better soil organically for his gardens. He would dispose of his tomato plants in his compost pile and the next Spring have more tomatoes than they could use. His friends and neighbors were well supplied with tomatoes. A visitation will be held on Tuesday, May 5, 2015 from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm at Beyers Funeral Home, Lady Lake, Fl. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:00 am at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, Wednesday, May 6, 2015. His burial will follow at 12:30 pm at the Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, Fl. Donations may be made to a charity of your choice.