Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Helen Margaret (Hardisty) Edjericon was born to Sarah and William Hardisty in Fort Simpson on February 24, 1956. She was the ninth child in a family of twelve, four older brothers, and her parents predeceased her. Helen spent her childhood in Jean Marie but often spent the summer months in Fort Simpson so that her father and older brothers could maintain wage employment. Although the family lived through lean times, Helen was raised in a strict but loving Christian home. She attended school in Jean Marie River until grade six, grades seven to nine in Fort Simpson, and she completed her schooling at Sir John Franklin High School in Yellowknife.
After graduation, she returned to Fort Simpson and lived there for a few years until moving to Norman Wells to live with her older sister Shirley and family in 1977. In 1979, she returned to Fort Simpson and moved to Hay River to live with her older brother Ron and his family where she worked for the GNWT. She later moved to Inuvik until approximately 1981, when she moved to Yellowknife. It was while she was living in Yellowknife that she met her former husband, Richard Edjericon, and they married in July 1986. Their son, Dion, was born in 1984 and grandson, Deacon, was born in 2007. She started working for the Dene Nation in Yellowknife not long after moving there and worked there for more than 10 years.
Helen was known for her meticulous housekeeping and was also known for her cooking skills as well as her passion for bingo. She loved entertaining family and friends in her big house in Ndilo. Helen loved to talk, especially when she was younger, and her siblings used to tease her about it. She was friendly and outgoing. She had many friends in the places she lived in and was very athletic when she was young. During her years in Akaitcho Hall, she was part of the Akaitcho girls' basketball team and joined a women's basketball team in Inuvik when she moved there.
After her marriage broke down, she lived with her friends and family and continued until her health started failing her. Although Helen experienced difficulties in her life, she never lost her faith in God and her firm belief in Him. She will be sadly missed by her family and friends. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.