Gordon Lennie, born in a bush tent with a 'lifelong love of the great outdoors,' dies at age 69
Family, politics and the land were at the heart of Lennie's life, says longtime friend
Friends and family are remembering Gordon Lennie, a man who loved the land and became a voice for its protection.
Lennie, who had been fighting a number of health problems in recent years, died Sept. 9. He was 69.
"I think his legacy is as a very kind, gentle man — very quiet but one who respected nature and respected being outside," said Joe Handley, who served as premier of the Northwest Territories from December 2003 until October 2007.
Those exact sentiments are what Lennie's son and daughter, Fraser and Nadja, touched on in the obituary they wrote.
"Gordon was a quiet, gentle man, whose birth in a bush tent outside of Aklavik gave rise to a lifelong love of the great outdoors," the obituary states.
"He was most at peace on the water, whether it was the Mackenzie River or Great Slave Lake. He was an unofficial ambassador for Great Slave Lake, taking anyone who wanted out on the lake for a fishing trip and fish fry."
Gordon was a quiet, gentle man, whose birth in a bush tent outside of Aklavik gave rise to a lifelong love of the great outdoors.- Obituary written by Fraser and Nadja Lennie
Handley first met Lennie in the late 1980s, shortly after moving to the N.W.T.
Handley and his wife immediately took to their new surroundings, getting out to fish on the lakes and picnic on the islands.
It was on one of those outings that they met Lennie, and for the most part, it's where anyone was most likely to run into him, Handley said.
"Gordon really liked the outdoors," he said. "He just liked to get out and away from the city. And he fit right into it."
Lennie embraced the land no matter the season, Handley added.
Sometimes in the winter, Handley and his wife would take snowmobiles to their cabin in the bush, just east of Yellowknife. It wasn't a surprise to see smoke already coming from the chimney.
"There would be Gordon sitting by the stove, himself, having a coffee and just enjoying it," Handley said. "He was always welcome there."
Lennie didn't take nature for granted though; he worked to make sure his love was being protected, serving as chair of the Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board [now the Mackenzie Valley Review Board].
The board evaluates development projects throughout the Mackenzie Valley, to ensure the land and the social, economic and cultural well-being of its residents are being protected
Lennie was also involved politically with the Northwest Territory Métis Nation and the Metis Heritage Association.
He co-authored the book, The Fiddle and the Sash: A History of the Metis of the Northwest Territories.
His other love was his children, Handley said, noting Lennie became a single parent after his wife, Perrie Moore-Lennie, died from cancer in the early 1990s.
"So he raised two children basically on his own," said Handley.
Family and friends are invited to a celebration of Lennie's life at Rotary Park in Yellowknife on Sept. 15 at 5 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, the family is asking that donations be made to the Stanton Territorial Hospital Foundation's Dialysis North Campaign.