Cheri Diane Haynie

Cheri Diane Haynie, known throughout different seasons of her life as Cheri Rousseau, Cheri Whiting, and Cheri Ruffo, passed away peacefully in Nashville, Tennessee, on June 30th 2026, after a fourteen-month journey with a rare appendiceal cancer. Born on December 11th, 1967, in West Palm Beach, Florida, Cheri spent her 58 years quietly making the lives of those around her just a little bit easier.

Her family extends its sincerest gratitude to the Oncology staff at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, whose compassionate care gave Cheri and her family the gift of a beautiful last year together. They didn’t just treat her cancer; they helped preserve her quality of life, making it possible for her to reach the goals that mattered most to her.

When she was diagnosed with cancer in May 2025, her goal became simple: see her granddaughter Avery graduate from Virginia Tech. Treatments gave her ordinary days where she walked 10,000 steps a day and somehow became the only person anyone knew who gained weight during chemo. She refused to spend her time living like she was dying.

Caring for people wasn’t just Cheri’s profession, it was the thread that ran through her life. She worked in hospice and other healthcare fields, and for more than three decades was also a barber, always with a pair of clippers in her trunk. (Despite that, she still wore the same hairstyle for decades because she’d already found the right one for her.) Whether Cheri was giving someone a haircut in a hospital room, sitting beside a grieving family, or trimming a friend’s hair in the kitchen, she never made a fuss about helping. She simply did it.

For the many years Cheri worked in hospice, she truly believed it was a privilege to walk alongside others through the end of life. Long before cancer became part of her own story, she had already taught those closest to her that death and saying goodbye didn’t need to be feared or avoided.

As was her way, she made sure death was supported emotionally but also (lovingly, practically, and more than a little bit controlling) that the living wills were notarized, beneficiaries were updated, and all the cumbersome details were in order long before they were needed. Then she’d turn around and laugh until she cried in a Whataburger drive-thru because she’d already donated all of her winter clothes to Goodwill, matter-of-factly explaining she wasn’t going to need them and wanted to make things just a little easier for her daughter someday. If you knew Cheri, that explanation made perfect sense.

Cheri was quietly compassionate. She wasn’t someone who sought attention, and she would’ve hated being the center of it now. She showed love through small, steady acts. For Cheri, caring for people looked like taking care of everything around them. She kept things organized, often to an annoyingly comical degree. She taught her daughter every Home-Depot-lesbian-approved handyman trick she had in her toolbox. If something needed fixing, there was a good chance Cheri either already knew how or was confident enough to pretend she did until it worked.

She loved doing laundry, her morning coffee, trips to the casino, donuts and sweets, and her three beloved cats. More than anything, Cheri loved being “Nanny.” Avery was one of the greatest joys of her life. Cheri reached her goal and watched Avery graduate college on May 15th 2026 and the next day, her body quietly began letting go. Her family extends further gratitude to both Heart & Soul Hospice and Alive Hospice for their beautifully compassionate care during her final weeks.

Cheri is survived by her daughter, Rian Nicole Whiting; her beloved granddaughter, Avery Paige Whiting; her brother, Edward Rousseau; her nephew, Joseph Rousseau; and Rian’s partner, Richard Draigen Simmons. The family she leaves behind is only part of her legacy. The rest lives in the countless quiet moments where she made someone’s life a little easier. She built her legacy one small act, one really great haircut, and one stress-reducing conversation during a smoke break at a time.

In accordance with Cheri’s wishes, no formal services will be held. Her family will honor her in the way she would’ve appreciated most: by spending time together, laughing often, noticing the ordinary moments, and never being afraid to say the important things while there’s still time.

Flowers ask us to practice the art of noticing. They bloom, they thrive, and before we know it, they’re gone. In lieu of flowers, or alongside them, the family encourages donations to Compassion & Choices⁠ https://compassionandchoices.org, an organization whose mission reflects so much of what mattered to Cheri throughout her life: helping people navigate the end of life with dignity, compassion, and informed choice.

Arrangements in the care of Compassion Funeral & Cremation Services, Nashville, TN (615) 857-9955. We proudly remain locally owned & operated.