Calgarians mourn loss of Cheri Macaulay, beloved community activist
'Calgary would not be what it is without Cheri Macaulay,' says friend and protégé
Many Calgarians turned to social media to mourn the loss and celebrate the contributions of a beloved neighbourhood activist who died after being diagnosed with cancer.
Cheri Macaulay, who brought Little Free Libraries to the city and founded CivicCamp, an advocacy group dedicated to fighting for municipal improvements like better transit and urban planning, died on Sunday at the age of 57.
"Yesterday, I lost a friend, and I lost someone who was a major inspiration to me and a mentor to me," said Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi, speaking outside of city council chambers Friday.
"But it's not about me. It's about the whole community."
I love her so very much. Who knew a coffee <a href="https://twitter.com/highergcafe?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@highergcafe</a> 10 years ago would have led to so much collaboration and co-conspiring to be a better city? Thank you for Little Free Librsries, thank you for CivisCamp, thank you for being Cheri. Thank you for everything. <a href="https://t.co/vypCzkwXSl">https://t.co/vypCzkwXSl</a>
—@nenshi"You look around, and Calgary would not be what it is without Cheri Macaulay," said journalist Jeremy Klaszus, a friend and protégé, in an interview with the Calgary Eyeopener.
Macaulay was involved in high profile activism, like the Women's March in Calgary and Mayor Naheed Nenshi's 2010 election campaign, but also in smaller projects that built community from the ground up, he said.
"She believed in kindness," Klaszus said, his voice cracking with emotion.
"She believed in connectedness, and so she was always looking at how do we connect each other — in big and small ways."
Your mother was one remarkable, beautiful person. We are all infected by her radical optimism. And her unyielding belief in the greatness of small acts of humanity and community building. Sending you our thoughts and support.
—@cesarcalaYYC<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/yyccc?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#yyccc</a> starts its meeting by paying tribute to community advocate Cheri Macaulay who passed away on the weekend. <a href="https://t.co/cWS24LG8ZS">pic.twitter.com/cWS24LG8ZS</a>
—@CBCScottKlaszus, founder and editor of The Sprawl, said Macaulay was a mentor to him. He described her as a "co-conspirator" who channeled her courageous optimism into her tireless efforts to improve her city.
"I love that word … co-conspirator. That's what I see when I see Cheri. I see her hunched over a coffee at the Simmons building, or another coffee shop, Higher Ground or whatever. She was always in there, 'How do I make my city better. How do I connect people?'"
"She really built that connective tissue between people," he said.
"In a society where isolation is so common, she was always building relationships, just always getting in there."
Cheri had such impact on so many people and in so many ways. She embodied community spirit in Calgary. We'll all miss her.
—@micropainterWith files from the Calgary Eyeopener.