(August 1, 1944 – January 27, 2025)
Cheryl Dianne Entwistle was born in Lampman Saskatchewan and raised in nearby Estevan. After high school, she obtained a Registered Nurse diploma from the Regina General Hospital School of Nursing in 1965 and obtained a staff nursing position at Riverview General Hospital in Calgary. After some European travel in 1966, Cheryl relocated to Ottawa, first obtaining a Certificate in Teaching and Administration, and then following that up with a Bachelor of Nursing degree from the University of Ottawa. After graduation in 1971, she moved to the Misericordia Hospital in Winnipeg to begin her career in nursing education.
In 1978, Cheryl headed west to Vancouver to take up a teaching position at the UBC School of Nursing. She took a hiatus from that teaching to complete a Master of Education degree in UBC’s Department of Administration, Adult, and Higher Education in 1985. Her graduating essay for that program was entitled “Distance learning in nursing education…a challenge for change.”
Returning to the UBC School of Nursing, Cheryl held various teaching and administrative positions over the course of a long and productive career, including Lecturer, Clinical Instructor, Director of the Learning Resource Centre, and Director of the Post RN Program.
During her years at the UBC School of Nursing, Cheryl was actively involved with what was at the time known as the Canadian Association for University Schools of Nursing (CAUSN) (now CASN), serving as the School’s representative to the Western Region, and held an executive position with the BC History of Nursing Society, where her contributions have been documented among the nurses honoured: https://bcnursinghistory.ca/cheryl-entwistle/ In 2002, she co-authored with Glennis Zilm the second edition of a book on writing for nurses entitled The Smart Way: An Introduction to Writing for Nurses.
Cheryl was also a founding member in 2000 of a group originally known as the “BC Lab Educators,” established to ‘find solutions to the everyday issues of educating nurses. Over the years, this group has evolved into the Western Canadian Collaborative of Health Science Educators Society, a collaborative of educators from all health science programs, whose website attributes its origins to Cheryl’s visionary leadership.
Although Cheryl retired in 2009, she remained actively engaged with School. As an ongoing member of the BC History of Nursing Society, she would turn up in period costume at various events of historical interest, including the presentation of the opera Florence Nightingale, The Lady with the Lamp in 2006, and the unveiling of the plaque commemorating Ethel Johns (1879-1968), first Director of the UBC School of Nursing, as a Person of National Historic Significance by the Government of Canada in 2015, an event later written up in the School newsletter TouchPoints. Cheryl and her partner Kerry also participated for many years as “standardized patients” for OSCE exams (objective structured clinical examinations), a vital component of the UBC Nurse Practitioner program.
Colleagues and former students have wonderful memories of Cheryl’s contributions to the School and to nursing education regionally and nationally:
Linda Leonard remembers Cheryl as having “such vitality.” Carol Jillings describes her as “such a great friend and colleague – so many memories within and outside of the School.” And Joan Anderson reflected “I am deeply saddened to hear of Cheryl’s death. I will remember her for her deep devotion to the School, and to students.“ Gloria Joachim remembers Cheryl as always being physically fit and healthy, skiing and playing racquet ball, enthusiastic and committed to everything she did in her career and beyond. She reports that, “after retirement, Cheryl managed a thrift shop for her church and turned it into a full-time commitment!” Having led the Nurse Practitioner program for many years until her retirement, Gloria can attest to the faithful and enthusiastic contributions both Cheryl and Kerry made to the NP OSCEs.
Elsie Tan remembers Cheryl’s communication course, where she had her army of faculty members dress up to role-play with the students and learn to interview in various contexts. I also recall her bringing her tea, coffee, and cookies trolley to meetings with staff and faculty. One year, when she was in charge of planning a Western Region CAUSN Conference scheduled to take place in Vancouver, Cheryl proposed a local troupe of Drag Queen singer/dancers as the feature entertainment for the event. It was a major success for all concerned, and many remembered it as the most fun nurse educator conference they had ever attended.
Dr. Margaret Scaia, a former faculty member at the University of Victoria School of Nursing, recalls that, despite attending UBC for several years, she had never completed her nursing degree, and took the diploma program at Selkirk College instead. Over two decades later, she arrived unannounced at the UBC School of Nursing and asked the receptionist if she could talk to someone about the Post RN program. “They sent me to Cheryl’s office. I knocked, and Cheryl said ‘come on in!’ I opened the door and Cheryl was sitting on her desk and Joan Anderson was in a chair. I explained why I was there and Cheryl said ‘let’s get you signed up!’” Margaret did, completing her own degree before her UVic students obtained theirs, and she later taught a few courses in UBC’s Post RN program in addition to her role at UVic. She recalls, “I got to know and love Cheryl a lot – she was great – good spirit, fun, encouraging and welcoming. I’ll never forget my welcome in the UBC nursing program and Cheryl Entwistle.”
Cheryl died in Kelowna, BC, where she had recently located to be close to family. She was predeceased by her longtime partner, Kerry Smith, a BC Court judge, who died Oct 25, 2024. She leaves behind a nephew Peter John (Sarah) Soroka of London, England, niece Laurie (Peter) Taurianen of Texas, and nephew Greg (Jessie) Soroka of Kelowna, and several great-nephews and great-neices. She will be remembered with a memorial service and celebration of life this coming summer in the tiny church in Cannington Manor, Saskatchewan, where her parents and grandparents were buried and at the cottages where the family has traditionally gathered together.
Notes and messages for the family may be sent c/o Greg Soroka, 1598 Lindsay Drive, Kelowna, BC V1V 1T5
Because Cheryl was a strong advocate of nursing education, an option for donation in her memory might include the UBC Class of 58 Emergency Fund (endowed) that allows the School Director to give monetary assistance to any undergrad who needs emergency funds. Although these are not large amounts, they often provide a student in financial distress with a bit of breathing space. To donate, go to the Give UBC site. When offered a choice of funds for donation, select ‘other’ and then type in “UBC Class of 58 Emergency Fund.”
~S Thorne 2025 02 05