Liidlii Kue/Fort Simpson - Friends and acquaintances of Heather Passmore gathered together on Dec. 1 in Fort Simpson to celebrate her life.

Passmore, 39, died in Calgary on Nov. 15 while battling leukemia. She was a well-known resident of the village often seen with her husband Doug Tate and twin boys Patrick and Lucas.

Heather Passmore with her children Patrick and Lucas Tate on the bank of the Mackenzie River at Fort Simpson. - photo courtesy of Doug Tate

"We're here today to celebrate Heather," said Anyes Fabre-Dimsdale at the beginning of the memorial service.

"She was a dear friend to many of us."

More than 50 people attended the memorial service that highlighted different aspects of Passmore's life and activities she supported.

"She was a very inconspicuous and unassuming person," said Leah Keats.

Passmore was never in the forefront but was always dependably in the background, said Keats who spoke of Passmore's commitments to the Girl Guides.

"She was a Girl Guide to the very end," Keats said.

The way Passmore lived her life embodied the best of Girl Guides including the respect she had for people and how she gave of herself, said Keats.

Passmore was also active in the work of the Historical Society of Fort Simpson. She helped find funding to remove the asbestos from the Sacred Heart rectory building and played a part in the purchase of McPherson House, said Stephen Rowan.

Passmore also took part in the archeological digs that were held at the Heritage Park in 2002 and 2003.

"She was a very, very special person," Rowan said.

Members of the Open Doors Society will also miss Passmore's contributions, said Val Gendron.

Passmore joined the society as a board member in September 2005. She could also often be found at the society's events with her twin boys.

Passmore was born in Richmond Hill, Ont. on Jan. 5, 1968. She and Doug Tate moved to Fort Simpson in 1999 and were married on Sept. 22, 2001. Patrick and Lucas were born on Nov. 1, 2003.

In June the family temporarily moved to Calgary so Passmore could undergo treatments for cancer. She received a blood stem cell transplant in July.

Although early progress was good, she suffered severe complications when her body rejected the transplant and was remitted to the hospital in September. She died of liver failure just before noon on Nov. 15.

Friends recalled Passmore's strength in the face of her illness.

One of her deepest wishes was for people to not know she was sick, said Freda Blyth.

Passmore wanted everything to be normal and to do everything possible with her family.

"I was absolutely amazed by the power of her," said Blyth.

She will be remembered as being cheerful, patient, kind, filled with grace and always positive, said Tracy Brown.

The memorial service in Fort Simpson was organized so it coincided with a service being held by Passmore's family in Bala, Ont.

The service in the village concluded with guests enjoying snacks from a table of refreshments made from recipes that were among Passmore's favourites.