Cheryl Lee Margaret Denomee Kline

Cheryl was born in the small town of Belle River, Ontario in 1951 to Dolores and Leonard Denomey. She was the eldest of 6 siblings and, as such, often assumed responsibility for looking after the other 5 (Greg, Laurie, Christina, Lynn, & Anita). She spent much of her childhood playing with her siblings and cousins outdoors, putting on penny carnivals and plays in the backyard, and in the winter, skating on the town's frozen Belle River.

In the 1970s, Cheryl left Belle River to study at the University of Windsor where she obtained a Bachelor of Art. She spent most of her 20's fine tuning her creative skillset and travelling around North America living and working in various locations throughout Canada and the U.S.

In 1980, Cheryl landed in Victoria B.C. Soon after, she met Jeff Kline, the father of her two daughters Rinah and Nadia Kline. Cheryl fell in love with the lifestyle, people, and scenery on Vancouver Island and made it her home for the remainder of her life. Proudly representing her French-Canadian heritage, she brought a piece of Ontario with her to the west coast and enriched the lives of those who were fortunate to cross paths with her. 

Cheryl was a very talented artist and integrated member of the arts community in Victoria. She hosted many exhibitions in Canada and the US, several at a local art gallery where she retained a studio (X-changes) which included political exhibits of peace cranes designed to protest global conflicts and unique sculptural pieces often incorporating aspects of the female form. Cheryl taught art at the Moss Street Art Gallery and was a member of the community arts council for many years contributing to events such as the Moss Street Paint-in. She put together the first art directory in existence for the Island, which helped bring art and the community together in the mid-1980's.

Cheryl moved through several different professions in her life - from owning a jean store in Cornwall, Ontario to running a lamp store out of her basement in James Bay, British Columbia where she would create beautiful and unique painted and tassled lamp shades (with some pieces even making it as far as Japan). She worked as an artist, an art teacher, and she canvassed for various causes including the Kidney foundation of Canada and the Heart and Stroke Foundation. Eventually, she settled for a number of years with a career as a regional trainer for an accounts recovery corporation. In this position she worked alongside her daughter Rinah and son-in-law Skyler for over 10 years with her daughter Nadia working close by for some time at a cafe across the road.

In retirement, Cheryl found many new hobbies. She rekindled her love of the ocean and her and her partner John spent many years on their boat, Avocet, crabbing and enjoying the salish sea- ducking into the Tod inlet to catch the fireworks off of the Beauchart gardens was a favorite past time. Cheryl transformed a construction scrap yard in their backyard into a beautiful vegetable garden and honeybee sanctuary. This became a key part of her happiness in her final years – growing and preserving homegrown goods and honey and supplying it to loved ones. Cheryl believed honey could solve nearly any problem. Alongside her daughter Rinah, Cheryl became a key member of the beekeeping community in Victoria, and on a few occasions, came to the rescue of community calls reporting swarming bees.

Cheryl was a thoughtful and caring woman, she was wildly creative, she had an untameable spirit, and a wanderers soul. She loved her girls Rinah and Nadia, her family and friends, her savannah kitties Sonny and J.J., her partner of over 20 years, John and his children Mike and Elyse with every ounce of her being. She was a beloved Grandma to Zack, Sadie, Nate and Ty. Cheryl was a fearless and confident woman who held true to her convictions. She was unapologetically opinionated and always up for a good debate. She had an endearing silly side to her as well that unfailingly was used to cheer up the people she loved.

Cheryl courageously fought her battle with pancreatic cancer for 7 months with her daughters and partner by her side. Her fight was a testament to the resilience, strength, and love she exhibited throughout her life. She departed from this world on May 18, 2024 surrounded by family, leaving an imprint of her light on the hearts of her loved ones and all who had the privilege of knowing her.