Cheryl Tongate

With great sadness, the family of Cheryl Tongate shares that she passed away peacefully on November 21, 2025, with her family by her side. She left this world the same way she navigated it in life-on her own terms, with honesty, wit, and deep spiritual trust.
Cheryl was a hardworking, trailblazing, wisdom-keeping, devoted matriarch, beloved wife and mother of four. She valued authentic connection with loved ones and strangers alike and had a gift for making even mundane moments feel meaningful. She found joy in her garden, a place where she nurtured beauty and cultivated a sense of peace.
Cheryl was a determined advocate for the rights of nursing mothers and helped shift institutional practices toward greater care and dignity for families. A practicing Reiki Master and healer, she founded Essential Wellbeing and later offered Craniosacral Therapy, Nature Connect, and Neural Repatterning Therapy. Her work in the world reflected a lifelong commitment to healing, learning, and exploring the mysteries of the human experience.
Cheryl loved her family fiercely and showed up for them in both the ordinary and defining moments of life. She taught them to think independently, care deeply, and live with intention. She is survived by her husband, Billy ("Butch") Tongate; her daughters, Jessica, Adrienne, and Allison; her brother Bill and SIL Carol; and her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her son, A.J. (Andrew Jay), and her parents, Evelyne Myers and Robert McKay. Her physical presence will be deeply missed, and her love and spirit will continue to guide those who knew and loved her.
A Celebration of Life will be held on February 15, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. at the Kiva Chapel of Light, Memorial Gardens, Rivera Family Funerals, 417 Rodeo Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505.
The family suggests memorial contributions may be made to Rights of Passage (www.rightsofpassage.org) or Reunity Resources of Santa Fe (https://www.reunityresources.com)