Okemos, MI – The nursing community lost an incredible leader and a great friend on Sunday morning, October 28. Cheryl L. Johnson, RN, was admitted to the University of Michigan Hospital on Friday, October 19, following a ruptured brain aneurysm. She died yesterday morning, surrounded by family and friends.

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of this great leader. Nursing has had a great role model in Cheryl,” said Diane Goddeeris, RN, MNA Vice President. “I’m struck by her words: ‘it’s not about any one person; it’s about what is best for nursing’.”

“Passion. Commitment. Loyalty. All qualities embedded in our dynamic Cheryl Johnson. Nurses and patients have lost a tremendous advocate. Cheryl kept her feet firmly rooted in bedside nursing for over 30 years while progressively advancing her leadership at the local, state, and national levels. We will miss our friend and leader,” said Tom Bissonnette, RN, MSN, MNA Co- Executive Director.

“Cheryl was a nursing and labor leader at the state and national levels. She was a model for all of us to emulate. Her loss will be severely felt throughout the nursing and labor communities,” said John Armelagos, RN, University of Michigan Professional Nurse Council President.

“Cheryl will be deeply missed. She had an amazing ability to advocate for nurses and their patients wherever she went. Whether in a board room, at the bedside, or at a demonstration, Cheryl was there. She was always pushing to make things better, to make a difference,” said John Karebian, MNA Co-Executive Director. “Continuing to fight for nurses’ rights would be a most fitting tribute to Cheryl.”

Cheryl was a devoted staff nurse for over 30 years at the University of Michigan Hospital. A certified medical surgical nurse, she worked in critical care at the UM.

Cheryl was recently elected to her third term as president of the Michigan Nurses Association. Cheryl was a long-time leader of MNA, having served as MNA vice president, and president of the Washtenaw-Livingston-Monroe chapter of the MNA, as well as chair and vice-chair of the University of Michigan Professional Nurse Council (UMPNC).  In recognition of her many contributions to nursing, she was inducted into the Michigan Nurses Hall of Fame in 2006.

Cheryl was also president of the United American Nurses, an affiliate of AFL-CIO. She was one of a few women on the AFL-CIO Executive Council. Cheryl was identified as one of the "100 Most Powerful People in Health Care,” by Modern Healthcare.  In 2005, she was named a vice president for the Coalition of Labor Union Women.

Details on a memorial service in Cheryl’s honor are being finalized.