Terry Halifax
Northern News Services

Hay River (Jan 17/00) - The North mourned the loss of a great mother recently, when Doreen Stewart of Hay River, died following a short bout of leukemia.

"They met on a blind date in Vancouver," Stewart's daughter Joy recalled. "Dad was staying in a boarding house while he was training in radio and navigation for the war."

"Their first date was at a Father's Day picnic with mom's family at Stanley Park."

The war ended and six weeks later the two were engaged.

Don took a job as the first radio operator in Hay River and 19-year-old Doreen moved North with her new husband to live in a quonset hut at the Hay River airport.

"She had a lot of grit to leave home at that age," she said. "To leave everything she knew behind."

"When they came up here, they didn't have a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out," Joy laughed.

In an effort to spruce up the little love nest, Doreen found a can of green paint and took to painting everything that she thought needed it.

"To hear Dad tell the story, 'Everything was green! Even the inside of the chemical toilet!,'" Joy recalled. "After that, Dad wasn't very fond of green."

The couple moved from the quonset to the Old Village Mission House where the couple received the gift of eldest son Donnie.

Don Sr. went on to a successful career in business with a construction firm, movie theatres and later building supplies and went on to a career in politics.

Throughout her parents' lives together, Joy said although her mother didn't care much for politics, Doreen played a big part in Don's success.

"She didn't have a political bone in her body -- she just loved people," she said.

Rose Dean lived in Hay River when Don and Doreen moved North and the two became fast friends, who never lost touch.

"I've known Doreen since 1946 and we developed a long-time friendship over the years," Dean said.

"When they first moved to Hay River, my husband's family worked for The Bay and they stayed with us for a two or three weeks and she was just 19 and a new bride of a couple weeks," Dean remembered. "Hay River was an isolated Northern community back then with a small population of native and a smaller population of non-native people."

The new girl on the block wasted little time getting to know the neighbourhood, Dean recalled.

Gracious and friendly

"She came from the city of Vancouver and fit right in to the Northern life -- always gracious and friendly to everyone," she said.

"More than a dozen times we shared Christmas dinners together," she recalled. "We shared a lot of family gatherings together."

"I especially remember how much Doreen enjoyed the summers at the beach -- we spent a lot of time there with our children," Dean said.

She, like most who knew Doreen, agrees she was a friendly, cheery sort who never had a bad thing to say about anyone.

"I can only say that anyone who has known Doreen, can only say that our lives have been enriched by having known her," she said.

Long-time Hay River resident, Eileen Collins also remembers Doreen as a very kind and friendly woman.

"She had a very sweet nature and a sunny disposition," Collins recalled. "She was very, very likable."

When the young couple first moved to Hay River, Doreen was given a Slavey name, she said, which meant, "Pretty white woman."

Doreen was also a great cook, Collins said, and it wasn't long before most of Hay River found out.

"Doreen used to cook for the pilots and she'd get to keep the leftovers and that was usually bacon and eggs, but if they ever left a tomato or a head of lettuce it meant a salad for the whole community," Collins said.

"If anybody ever suffered a loss she'd always bring over her roast beef with potatoes roasted in the pan," Collins said.

"It was Doreen's way of expressing her concern."

Joe Gagnier grew up close to the Stewart family. His dad Lionel was in business with Don in the Igloo Theatres and Igloo Building Supplies.

The two families spent many holidays and happy times together, he said.

"I remember going over there for a lot of Christmases and after campaigns and she'd always be there, cooking and cleaning," Gagnier recalled.

"She always made sure you something to eat or drink."

"Doreen would be there until the last person went home," he recalled.

"I remember one night in particular. I was in no shape to drive home so she made me up a bed and made sure I stayed there for the night," he smiled.

Joy Stewart said her parents lived a great life together, through the good times and the bad.

"They did have a wonderful life together -- from all aspects of their life together," she said. "From living on an airstrip in a quonset to ending up having dinner and lunch with the Queen and Prince Charles."

Doreen Stewart is predeceased by her parents and brother, her husband Don and her eldest son Donnie.

She is survived by her daughter Joy, her sons Barry and Brian, 10 grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.