Gordon Lennie, born in a bush tent with a 'lifelong love of the great outdoors,' dies at age 69

Friends and family are rememberingGordonLennie, aman who loved the land and became a voice for its protection.

Lennie, who had been fighting a number of health problems in recent years, diedSept. 9. He was69.

"I think his legacy is as a very kind, gentle man very quiet but one who respected nature and respected being outside," said JoeHandley, whoserved as premier of the Northwest Territories from December2003 untilOctober 2007.

Those exact sentiments are what Lennie'sson 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 NadjaLennie

Handley first metLenniein the late1980s, shortly after movingto the N.W.T.

Handley and his wife immediately took to their new surroundings, getting out tofishon the lakesand picnicon the islands.

It was on one of those outings that they metLennie,and for the most part, it's where anyone wasmost likely to run into him,Handleysaid.

"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 landno matter the season, Handleyadded.

Sometimes in the winter, Handleyand his wife would take snowmobilesto 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."

Lenniedidn't take nature for grantedthough;he worked to make sure his love was being protected, serving as chair of the Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board [now the MackenzieValley Review Board].

The board evaluates development projects throughout theMackenzie Valley, to ensurethe land and the social, economic and cultural well-being of its residents are being protected

Lennie was also involvedpoliticallywith theNorthwest TerritoryMtis Nation and theMetis Heritage Association.

He co-authoredthe book,The Fiddle and the Sash: A History of the Metis of theNorthwest Territories.

His other love was his children, Handleysaid, noting Lenniebecamea 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 onSept.15at 5p.m.

In lieu of flowers, the family is asking that donations be made to the Stanton Territorial Hospital Foundation's Dialysis North Campaign.