Twinkle Chisholm — country club kid turned documentarian, advocate, journalist, and entrepreneur — passed away peacefully on August 14, 2026, in Helena, Montana. She was born in 1943 in Jacksonville, Florida, to Jack and Hester Chisholm. Her father nicknamed her Twinkle, which she legally changed because it suited her personality and style. The family lived in several places before settling in Bountiful, Utah, where she and her sister Harriet “Pinkie” grew up. In Bountiful, their family developed a strong connection with the community, creating a found family that would support and comfort them through the years.

Her life was rich and purposeful. She served as an official photojournalist for the “Trail of Broken Treaties: A March on Washington, D.C.” organized by Dennis Banks, the co-founder of the American Indian Movement — a man her nieces and nephews would also come to know.

Twinkle began her career in television news at KUTV, then Salt Lake City’s NBC affiliate. For a short period, she worked in Los Angeles as a producer for Lifetime Television, then returned to Salt Lake and KUTV as a producer, medical reporter, and documentarian. While at KUTV, between 1989 and 1993 she and her team were honored eight times by the Utah Broadcasters Association, for work ranging from Baby Your Baby, the prenatal-health campaign credited with the largest single-year drop in infant mortality in state history, to Project Cancer, to Remember My Name, documenting the AIDS Memorial Quilt when the nationwide tour made the second stop in Salt Lake.

She reported on the AIDS epidemic in Salt Lake when very few people in Utah were willing to, and she did not report it from a distance. In 1988, she returned home to care for her friend, the filmmaker C. Larry Roberts, until his death later that year. This began her unwavering advocacy for those diagnosed with AIDS. In 1994 she made Faces of Breast Cancer, following five Utah women through their illness. Seventeen years later, she went back to find them. Two had died.

After a successful career in journalism, she moved into marketing, serving as VP of Marketing for the Utah division of Columbia/HCA, and in 1999 founding her own firm, Lucky Dog Communications. From 2013, she led marketing and communications for Imagine Health. She served on the board of trustees of The Road Home, and in 2008, at 65, she stood on a sidewalk and organized a rally to keep public radio station KCPW on the air. "KCPW is an incredibly important, valuable community resource," she said, "and I don't want to see it go away.”

Flyfishing was a passion for Twinkle. She enjoyed sharing her expertise and knowledge, teaching others to love the sport. She spent as many days as she could on the Henry's Fork of the Snake River, around Last Chance, Idaho. She was famous in Last Chance for her cheesecake, which she shared freely at the fly shop. She had four Labradors — Sitka, Eldridge, Gilly and Fisher — and a terrier named Snooks whom she patiently taught to behave like a Lab. Gilly was named for the Scottish word for a fishing guide. She named her company, Lucky Dog Communications, for all of them.

She had two nieces and a nephew whom she loved fiercely. Always present for their births, holidays, and graduations—and always available for advice or to simply listen when they needed it, often assisting with retail therapy (endlessly prusing the perfect ruby slippers).

Twinkle is survived by her sister, Harriet (Pinkie) Styler; nephew, Doug Styler (Karen Styler); nieces, Marci Williams (Derek Williams) and Anne Styler (Marcia Roberts); and extended family, Tanya Mahood, and Michael and Megan Langford, who were cherished companions for decades. She was preceded in death by her father, Jack Chisholm, and mother, Hester (Koo) Chisholm.

The family extends heartfelt gratitude to Son Heaven Assisted Living in Helena, Montana. The four years Twinkle lived there were amazing — the staff, residents, and their families brought her great joy. She loved participating in crafts, doing yoga, going on day trips, and flitting about chatting with residents and visitors. The staff at Son Heaven has created a home. We are grateful they embraced Twinkle and welcomed her into their fold.

A Celebration of Twinkle will be held in Salt Lake at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions be made in Twinkle's memory to the Henry’s Fork Foundation, PO Box 550, Ashton, ID 83420, or to Susan G. Komen at info-komen.org/goto/Twinkle