On February 18, 2016, Elizabeth (Betty) Hawke passed away peacefully at her home at Berwick on the Lake, in Nanaimo BC, with her family at her side.
She was predeceased by her husband Tom, her son Warren and brothers Fergus and James Brown. She is survived by her daughter Sheila (George), her granddaughter Holly (Jason), her granddaughter Kelly, great granddaughters Alexandria and Brooke Knox, her sister Georgina (Ina) Perrault and many nieces and nephews.
Betty grew up and lived in Dryden for 89 of her 93 years. She was a teacher and principal at the elementary school level, at Riverside and Hillcrest Schools, She spent all but two of her professional teaching years in Dryden. Over several years Betty went to summer school and graduated from Lakehead University with a BA in 1975.
Betty was president of the Federation of Womens Teachers of Ontario 1979-80 during which time some of the federation members went on strike for the first time. Her years of experience at labour negotiations at the local and regional level were seen as invaluable. From 1969-71 Betty was the federations consultant and bargainer. For several years she was a member of the board of governors of the Ontario Teachers Federation, the governing body of the teaching profession of Ontario. Betty was awarded a Fellowship in the Ontario Teacher’s Federation for her contribution to education and the federation. Outspoken and direct when the occasion demanded it, Betty nonetheless earned the affection and respect of pupils, parents, teachers and trustees in her years as teacher and principal in Dryden
She was very proud of her work with the FWTO. Betty was also active with the Girl Guides of Canada and was a commissioner of North Western Ontario in the early sixties, she gave up her involvement with the Girl Guides to devote more time to the FWTO.
Besides her professional, family, and community involvement as well as her activities with the First United Church of Dryden, Betty found time to be a good and very competitive bridge player and curler. She was on the winning teams in many bonspeils and an active member of her bridge club. She also traveled the world during her life with her family, friends and colleagues. She and her husband Tom built a camp on Thunder Lake in 1953. Betty enjoyed spending the summers there for 57 years with her children, grandchildren and friends.
Betty will be sadly missed by her family and all whose life she touched for she was a loyal friend and an equally formidable opponent. Betty will be remembered for her great sense of social justice and her generosity to many causes. She was quite a woman, years ahead of her time in the fight for equal pay for equal work, and women’s rights in general.
A memorial service will be held at the First United Church in Dryden on May the 26th at 2:00 p.m. Anyone wishing to make a donation in Betty’s name can donate to any Dryden based charity or the First United Church.