A look back on a storied life
Fort Resolution elder Eliza Lawrence died July 24
Kassina Ryder
Northern News Services
Saturday, July 30, 2016
DENINU KU'E/FORT RESOLUTION
Eliza Lawrence, Northwest Territories politician known as "everyone's mother", died in Grande Prairie Alta. on July 24, said daughter Flory Enzenauer.
Lutsel K'e elder Annie Catholique (left) is pictured with Eliza Lawrence, MLA and a founder of the NWT Native Women's Association. Lawrence passed away on July 24, 2016. - photo courtesy of Flory Enzenauer
|
She was 80 years old.
Enzenauer said her mother's strength of character was tested from an early age.
When Lawrence was about 11 years old, she took care of her younger siblings for months while her own mother received treatment for tuberculosis in Fort Smith.
It was the 1940s in Fort Resolution and Lawrence and her 16 brothers and sisters lived in a home with no running water or electricity.
As the third oldest, Lawrence was taken out of school to take care of the household until her mother was able to return.
"Now can you imagine, Grade 6, having to take care of kids with no running water and no diapers," Enzenauer said. "That's how my mother became a survivor. She was so resourceful and did so much."
Born Eliza Beaulieu, she married Harry Lawrence in 1960. The couple had three daughters.
In 1983, she was elected to the Legislative Assembly to represent the Tu Nedhe district, now known as Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. She served as MLA until 1987.
Before entering politics, Lawrence worked as a nurse throughout the territory and Alberta, including in Fort Smith and the Charles Camsell Hospital in Edmonton.
She also worked as a nutritional educator, travelling the Western Arctic delivering information on the importance of healthy food, Enzenauer said.
"I remember all my friends were eating white bread and she was like, 'no, you have to eat vegetables and you have to eat brown bread.' That was new to everyone," she said. "No one really thought about that, and she did."
Lawrence was also a founding member of the NWT Native Women's Association and Enzenauer spent much of her childhood attending meetings with her mother and other women.
"Back in the day, those ladies were on fire," she said. "It was so amazing. I followed my mother around and I was a helper."
After politics, Lawrence became the manager of professional services with the Government of the Northwest Territory's Language Bureau.
Enzenauer said throughout her many roles, Lawrence's loving nature meant she treated everyone, even co-workers, like family.
"My mom was a friend and a mother to so many people," she said. "She was very kind, compassionate, loving, generous. Always feeding people, always making bannock, always doing something for someone."
In a news release, MLA Tom Beaulieu said Lawrence's work will be remembered, as will her kindness to others.
"As the current MLA for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh, I know that there are people who still talk about the good things Eliza did as the representative of the people of Tu Nedhe," he stated in the release. "She was a true friend to many."
The flags at the Legislative Assembly building in Yellowknife were expected to be set at half-mast on July 30 in Lawrence's honour.
A wake was scheduled to take place in Fort Resolution on July 29, followed by a service on July 30.
