Cheryl Lani Wichner

1957 - 2020

WICHNER, Cheryl Lani

of Tucson died June 24, 2020 from complications of meningitis, after bringing light and love to the world as a beloved wife, mother and sister for 63 years. Online memorials are pending, and life celebrations will be held at a later date.

Cheryl was born February 25, 1957 in Potsdam, New York, to the late Martin Eric and Marjorie Helen Johnson. In 1959 the family moved to Ethiopia, where Martin worked as a geographer to the Ethiopian government under a U.S. government aid program. After returning to the U.S. in 1963 and living in Los Angeles for a year, the family moved to Springfield, Ohio when Martin joined the faculty of Wittenberg University as a geography professor.Cheryl attended Springfield North High School and played flute in the school's marching band before graduating in 1974.She attended Earlham College and Wright State University before receiving an associate's degree in medical technology from Clark Technical College (now Clark State Community College) in 1984. She later became a certified Medical Laboratory Technician and Medical Technologist (HHS) and worked at Roche Biomedical Laboratories in Dublin, Ohio.

In 1985, Cheryl moved to Phoenix, Arizona, where she worked in several medical laboratories and met her future husband, David, who had also grown up in Springfield. In June 1989, Cheryl and David were married amid family and friends in the Pine Forest at Glen Helen Nature Preserve, in Yellow Springs, Ohio -- forever a sacred place to the couple.

In March 1994, the couple welcomed daughter Katherine Joy into the world and their home near Papago Park in south Scottsdale. While working in the lab field, Cheryl began to pursue a lifelong interest in holistic health and spiritual healing, and she was an early supporter and lab technician at the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine in 1996.

In May 1997, the family moved to Tucson as David was hired as technology editor at the Arizona Daily Star. Cheryl later worked as a insurance underwriter for HealthNet of Arizona (formerly Intergroup) from 1997 to 2001.A deeply spiritual person, Cheryl believed in the inherent dignity and worth of every person and the power of love, prayer and positive energy.She earned her first-level certification in Reiki, a form of energy healing, in 1999. She became a Reiki Master in 2007 and a Reiki Master Teacher in 2015.Cheryl spent more than 15 fifteen years volunteering with the University of Arizona's Program in Integrative Medicine, teaching and performing Reiki sessions for medical students and residents.She worked as a Reiki practitioner at Sierra Tucson, a holistic addiction and mood-disorder treatment center, from 2005 to 2015.In 2009, she graduated from the Tacheria Interfaith Spirituality Center in Tucson with a certification as a Spiritual Director and continued to meet with her Tacheria alumni group.

Cheryl was very gentle, kind and caring person who was very concerned about social justice and animal welfare. She enjoyed spending time with her family and friends, walking and reading books of all kinds.

Cheryl is survived by her husband, David; daughter, Katherine (Katy) of Waldfischbach-Burgalben, Germany; sister, Patty Owens and brother-in-law, Randy Owens of South Vienna, Ohio; niece, Kara Owens of Columbus, Ohio; nephew, James Owens of Springfield, Ohio; brother, Martin Johnson and sister-in-law, Cathy Johnson, nephew, Martin Johnson and niece, Margeaux Johnson, all of North Carolina; brother -in-law, Merritt Wichner of New Carlisle, Ohio; niece, Sara Wichner of San Francisco and nephew, Ben Wichner (Allyson) of Cincinnati, Ohio; brother-in-law, Albert Wichner (Dee) of Springfield; niece, Alicia Anstine (Andy) of Springfield, nephew, Eric Wichner (Jessica) of Springfield; sister-in-law, Kay Gilletly (Randy) of Delaware, Ohio; nephews, Tony Gilletly of Key West, FL, and Ryan Gilletly (Tiffany) of Columbus, Ohio; and numerous cousins.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Cheryl's name to the Tacheria Interfaith Spirituality Center, via a link on the contact page of the center's website, http://www.tacheria.org/ For updates on future memorial services, visit the Facebook public group "Cheryl Wichner Memorial Updates."