Cherie Mott Croom was born in Honolulu, Hawaii on October 10, 1944, the only child of Milo & Melva Melancon. While Cherie attended Punahou School her mother worked as an executive with Pan American Airlines, and her father Milo ran a sugar plantation. Milo taught his daughter to love golf as much as he did, and she not only played for the Punahou team, but lived just across the Moanalua Highway from the Honolulu Country Club, where Milo was a member.

Cherie's love of golf blossomed into a love for all sports. She became an avid Cougar fan when she attended the University of Houston, and she is a lifelong devotee of Texas Longhorn football, as well as the Houston Astros and the Dallas Cowboys. She found and developed her organizing skills when she pledged Chi Omega and became a proud and active sister. After college, Cherie also developed her love of tennis, both as a player and a contributor to the tennis community. She not only became a fierce competitor in the San Antonio Tennis Association (SATA), and affiliate of the United States Tennis Association, she was fiercely committed to promoting the sport. She helped hundreds of teen Texans hone their tennis skills in tournaments and clinics she organized as Tournament Director and Executive Director of SATA for more than 25 years.

Cherie was also a devoted mother. She met John Mott, Jr. while studying at UH. After the wedding in Honolulu, Cherie returned to the mainland, first in California, where she gave birth to her first son, John H. Mott, III (Trey), then back to her mother's roots in Houston, Texas, where she gave birth to her daughter Tori Cherie Mott and then to Detroit, Michigan, where her second son Jeff Mott was born. Cherie seemed to manufacture time as she was a coach for Tori's softball team and team mom for the baseball teams Trey and Jeff played on, at the same time that she was working full time, and volunteering with her tennis and golf associations.

When she wasn't competing against opponents on the golf course or tennis court, she was tricking them at the bridge table. Her competitive spirit was equally matched by her community spirit and her dedication to family and friends. Cherie passed away suddenly on August 30, 2020. She will be missed.

Cherie is survived by her children Trey and his wife, Heather, Tori, and her husband Tom Cerrone, and Jeff, and his wife Christi. She is also survived by her grandchildren Madison and Mary Grace, daughters of Trey and Heather, and Hayes, son of Jeff and Christi. She was preceded in death by her loving husband Rod Croom.

The family very much appreciates those who have provided support in these difficult times and will host a celebration of Cherie's life when it is safe to do so.