Remembering Cheryl Marie Hiltibran

A Loving

Celebration of Life

was held Sunday, July 11, 2021

Donations/memorials may be made to Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness (friends-bwca.org)

Generosity: A Full Life, Lived Well

A Kind and Beautiful Soul

Cheryl grew up in Urbana, Illinois, and graduated from high school there and then the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Our dear friend passed away unexpectedly on March 21, 2021 and she is very, very missed. She was a wonderful, caring friend who passionately inspired others to live their best lives.


Truth-seeker

Cheryl always looked forward to her annual solo canoe trips in the Boundary Waters and Quetico Wilderness areas, week-long voyages that she accomplished for many years. These peaceful and sometimes even challenging times alone in Nature were very much a spiritual renewal for her. She also loved to go camping with family and friends. No matter what life presented to her, she sought peace and rejuvenation outdoors in Nature.

Cross-Country Ski Racer

Cheryl was the first ever woman to participate in the American Birkebeiner for 40 years and she was very proud of the fact that she completed a total of 41 races. She had been active in the Birchleggings Club® since becoming eligible in 1997, and joined the Board of Directors in 2019. She also traveled to nine different countries to complete nine World Loppet League races.

Adventurer

In addition to rock climbing and marathon running, Cheryl enjoyed traveling the world.

Healer and Coach

As a life coach and energy healer Cheryl inspired people through facilitating conscious awareness of their own inner world, especially during major life transitions. She modeled and encouraged authenticity and being in spiritual alignment. A natural Intuitive, she gave clients insight on personal and health issues, dream interpretations, how to learn anything faster, and even did a bit of ghost-busting. Showing people how to access their own intuitive abilities was one of her favorite workshops to lead. She also enjoyed attending Expos to meet new people she could serve.

Teacher Extraordinaire

Cheryl achieved Level 3 IAL Certification as an Accelerated Learning Train-the-Trainer Instructor (one of 3 in the world), was a Master PhotoReading® Instructor, and was in the very first Structogram® certification course. She served as adjunct faculty at various colleges and consulted on curriculum development.

She also taught countless adult education classes, seminars, and workshops about mind mapping, creativity, dream interpretation, self-empowered teams, memory skills, intuition development, and Brain Gym®. Cheryl included the Building Excellence Survey® to coach learners to take advantage of their natural learning strengths.

Leader and Facilitator

Many businesses and organizations benefited from Cheryl’s guidance. She was a Board Member for the Birchleggings Club, International Alliance for Learning, Integrative Healers Consortium, Dwelling in the Woods, Brilliant Living, and more. She served as department head at various colleges and was a keynote speaker at many events, conferences, seminars, and expos. She also earned her Technology of Participation® certification, with which she expedited business’ strategic direction and succession planning.


Author and Artiste

Cheryl authored many articles and two books, the first an Accelerated Learning Train-the-Trainer Manual, and her memoir/self-help book to be published at a future date. She was a long-time member of the Women of Words professional writers’ group. She was an avid reader and a lover of live theater with season tickets to the Guthrie Theatre for many years. Cheryl enjoyed dancing, sewing, and other creative arts. She surrounded herself with plants, of course, and painted for her own pleasure.

Take care and be there for each other.