Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, recently on May 12, 1998, our community lost a well-respected and loved role model and a good friend. Mary Adele Bishop was the wife of Charlie Bishop and the mother of six children as well as grandchildren. Mary Adele was born in Wha Ti on April 10, 1945 to Jonas and Bella Jeremick'a and was married to Charlie on December 26, 1966. At the age of 18 her mother passed away and her father was in Charles Camsell. Mary Adele took the responsibility for and raised her brothers and sisters. Marie Adele was a special person, always full of life and laughter. On the wall in her house her children gave her a plaque for all to see, saying the Greatest Mom Award. Mary Adele was a loving and kind woman. She was like a mother to those who needed comfort and advice. She was always there when she was needed. She always encouraged people to work well together, not to gossip, but to forgive each other.
Since the mid-1970s, Mary Adele has worked as a community health representative for Rae-Edzo. The staff depended on her like an elder. She always knew the right thing to say to people whether they were young or old. With her experience as a mother, she was well able to give good advice to the young women. Her humour, sensitivity toward people and her language and cultural skills helped to ease the pain of many people. She was also interested in the youth and their education. She was elected to a local education society. It gave her another avenue to voice her concerns about culture, language and education for the youth. One of her last messages was not to judge or criticize, but to keep an open mind and an open door to love one another. Marie Adele will be sorrowfully missed. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.