‘Tough-as-nails’ councillor helped those in need
Former social worker died in her sleep while vacationing in Mexico
A former social worker and one-time city councillor is being remembered for her fearlessness in standing up for others.
Sherry McKibben, 69, died in her sleep the night of Jan.28. She had been vacationing near Cancun, Mexico, with her partner Karen Matthews. McKibben leaves behind three adult daughters.
“She was always particularly passionate about those in society who often were put onto the margins of our community, be it people living in poverty, with HIV/ AIDS, or street involved people,” said Jason Foster, a close family friend. “She wasn’t willing to just stand by, she wanted to actually help make change happen.”
McKibben was born July 27, 1944 in Edmonton. After graduating from Jasper Place High School, she entered nursing school but left to pursue a degree in social work. She was a social worker in Vancouver and Edmonton and studied social work at the London School of Economics in 1984.
She went on to be executive director of three Edmonton non-profit organizations: the Norwood Child and Family Resource Centre, the Boyle McCauley Health Centre, and HIV Edmonton.
In 1994, McKibben beat 17 other candidates to win a seat on city council in a byelection for a northeast ward, sharing the job with Brian Mason, now Alberta NDP leader.
“She was a very strong woman, very bright, and not afraid at all stand up for things she thought were important,” Mason said.
On her first day at city hall, McKibben told the Journal her background in social work made her “more apt to consider the needs of people who aren’t always considered, who aren’t always understood.”
While McKibben served on council at the same time as Michael Phair, an activist in the gay community, she maintained that her sexual preference wasn’t part of her public life.
Friend Candas Dorsey said McKibben was involved in various organizations and issues over the years, but her goal was always the same. “She wanted to make sure everyone was taken care of,” she said.
Friend Bill Moore-Kilgannon said McKibben was passionate about social justice and worked all her life standing up for others. “She was incredibly loving but also tough as nails.”
McKibben did not win reelection in 1995. She ran unsuccessfully for the provincial NDP in 1997 and 2008. From 1998 until 2006, McKibben served as executive director of HIV Edmonton.
“She came in during challenging times and provided the focus and direction we needed,” said Ken MacDonald, board chairman for HIV Edmonton.
McKibben had recently semi-retired, working parttime for Alberta Health Services but still maintaining a variety of volunteer commitments. She was particularly proud of a column on aging she had written since 2010 for the Boyle McCauley News, called Catch 66.
McKibben and Matthews left after Christmas for an extended vacation in Mexico, where they planned to stay until April. Matthews is now making arrangements to return McKibben’s body to Edmonton.