It is with deep sadness that the family of Sheryl Ann Leonard (nee Stephens) announce she was called home to her be with her Heavenly Father February 14, 2024.
Sheryl began her lifelong relationship with God in her mid teens when she met Christian missionaries while living with her family in Santiago, Chile.
After her family’s return from South America, Sheryl attended nurses training and upon graduating as a Registered Nurse, she traveled from the Queen Charlotte Islands (now known as Haida Gwaii) to Montreal and then back to the west coast.
Sheryl’s quest for a deeper connection with God led her to a self-proclaimed group called The Movement of God, or “the Move”. The group’s communal life was established from the ground up as a working farm, located in remote Northern BC. This small
society focused heavily on flawed teachings preparing for them for the end times.
As one of the few formally trained medical personnel in The Move, Sheryl was the
community’s official Midwife and played a vital role in delivering babies and providing postpartum care to the mothers and children. Sheryl’s lesser known talents included singing, playing guitar and writing. She composed a beautifully written, self published personal memoir about her time in The Move, called “To the Wilderness and Back”.
Although the teachings of The Move proved to be false, there is where Sheryl met and married Art. Sheryl gave birth to 2 daughters before leaving The Move for good and
relocating to Northern California where their son was born.
After 6 years in California and the dissolution of her marriage, Sheryl moved back to Canada with her children. Reunited with her parents and sister, Sheryl settled in, ready to continue her nursing and pursue a writing career.
She did not immediately return to nursing, but spent nearly 20 years working at an ob/gyn office. Without the shift work of nursing, she was able to be home every evening to care for her children while they were little.
Her sacrifice and efforts were rewarded, when at nearly the end of her career, she got a position on the postpartum care unit unit at the Grey Nuns hospital. She would later
describe this as her favorite place to work and felt blessed that she got to retire from a lifelong nursing career on such a high note.
When her kids were grown, Sheryl and her sister Gail lived together where she
continued to write and care for their mother until her passing. When they decided to
retire, Gail relocated to England to be near her only child and 3 grandchildren, while Sheryl moved to Lacombe to live with her middle child, Catherine. Even enjoying her life of leisure, she was still hard at work finishing several manuscripts and publishing two novels that were sold on Amazon.
When asked what her retirement plans were, she replied, “I just want to keep house and not have to go anywhere”. Knowing her fondest wish was to stay home, her family and friends honored that wish by bringing the parties and gatherings to her – and she
enjoyed every one of them! She would often say that she got to live the life she had
always wanted during her retirement.
Sheryl felt a kinship with animals, especially dogs and found what she described as the “best dog anyone could ever have” during her golden years. Though the short, but stout terrier cross named Thor started out as Catherine’s dog, he decided that Sheryl would be his person. Without discretion, Thor started moving his dog toys into her room and
despite Sheryl’s resistance because he was, after all, someone else’s pet, she was won over completely. She never missed an opportunity to soak up all the love he would give to her and vice versa! They were inseparable to the end.
Sheryl is predeceased by her parents, Thomas and Kathleen Stephens and her eldest brother Tommy (Joanne). She is survived by her children, Esther (Jeff), Catherine, and Richard (Jenn), her grandchildren, Rory (Destiny), Naomi, Kalem, Avery, and Tiana and her great grandchildren Marcus, and Elyza. She is also survived by her sister Gail, and brother John (Norma), as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.
The family kindly request that, in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Red Deer Hospice Society in Sheryl’s name. Any cards of sympathy can be sent to:
PO Box 579
Delburne, AB
T0M0V0
There will be a private family gathering to celebrate her life but to honor Sheryl’s wishes, there will not be a public funeral or memorial service.
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