Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I regret to inform the House of the passing of a beautiful, elderly lady, Mrs. Mary Vittrekwa, who passed away this weekend in Fort McPherson in an automobile accident.
Mary was born at Blackstone, Yukon, in 1907. She resided in the Dawson area until she was married in January 1936, to the late William Vittrekwa. She raised her family out on the land, taught them all the traditional skills in order to survive. She was the kind of person who could be teased a lot, but also laughed a lot. She had nine children and she raised five grandchildren, 27 great-grandchildren and 18 great-great-grandchildren.
Right up until her death, she spent a lot of her time on the land. She will be greatly missed.
At this time, I would like to mention a few other elders who have passed away over the years: John Vaneltsi; Abe Thomas; Jim Robert; Johnny Reindeer; John Kay; and, Eliza Kunnizzie. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.