“Who will tell our stories now?” asked one Red Deerian at Thursday’s funeral for beloved local historian Michael Dawe.
It was a commonly shared sentiment as hundreds of people gathered across the city to remember the life of the former archivist and Advocate columnist, who could recall names, dates, genealogies and local stories like nobody else.
Dawe, who died at age 67 on Dec. 24, wore many hats — most of them in service to the community he loved.
He was a city councillor, former health board member and Rotarian, who knew people from all walks of life. It isn’t surprising about 700 area residents either attended his funeral at Gaetz Memorial United Church, the reception that followed at Westerner Park, or watched a live-streamed video of the service.
“In his congenial, folksy manner, Michael always had time to stop and chat, to share stories, to hear people’s stories. He was very generous with his time,” recalled former Red Deer mayor Morris Flewwelling, who delivered Dawe’s eulogy.
Flewwelling knew Dawe for more than 60 years and spent two decades working with him at the Red Deer and District Museum and Archives, where “Michael provided leadership and helped people in the area become more familiar with their roots.”
The son of illustrious parents — Michael’s father G. Harold Dawe was a renowned local educator who co-founded Red Deer College and his mother Jean taught English there — Michael was proud to be a fifth-generation central Albertan.
Hard-working, even as a school boy, he received in the early 1960s the Governor General’s Gold Medal First Class for his Grade 9 marks, recalled Flewwelling. After earning a Bachelor’s Degree in history and economics from the University of Alberta in 1976, Dawe became the first full-time archivist for the city, at the age of 23. And he served in the position until he retired in 2017.
Besides saving for posterity municipal and health region records and encouraging other Red Deerians to donate club and committee agendas and reports to the archives, Dawe held a wonderful repertoire of local stories that he would share, said Flewwelling.
If you wanted to hear about Mickey the Beaver, who became a local star in the 1930s, or about the Red Deerian who invented puffed wheat squares, or about how Canada’s former governor general Roland Michener and his Boy Scout troop rounded up a local fugitive in 1911, you need only ask Michael.
Dawe wrapped many of these stories into several books he authored or co-authored about Red Deer. He also wrote weekly historical columns for the Advocate, the former Red Deer Express and Sylvan Lake News, as well as popular Facebook posts.
He “had a deep sense of community service,” noted Flewwelling, serving on many civic committees, as well as the Red Deer hospital board, David Thompson Health Region board, and was twice elected to Red Deer city council (he was still serving as councillor when he died).
As winner of the 2013 Red Deer Citizen of the Year Award, Dawe was twice voted Red Deer’s most beloved citizen by readers of the former Red Deer Express.
Retired museum worker Rod Trentham paid tribute to his good friend of 43 years by recalling how Dawe would warmly greet people who dropped in at the archives. “Michael had a side window in the office and whenever he saw some little old lady had walked in, Michael would walk around and give her a hug. He knew them all. He knew everyone and could bring up so many (people), he had so many generations in his head.”
Dawe’s friends would wonder where he found the time to take people on historic cemetery tours, campaign for the Liberal Party, comment to the media on historical and political stories, talk to school kids — and still recognize friends’ anniversaries and birthdays, said Trentham. “Someone observed he only left the archives to eat, shower and sleep.”
Trentham was enjoying the lights in Red Deer’s City Hall Park with his family on Dec. 26 when he saw the city flag being lowered. He was in disbelief when told his friend Dawe had died on Christmas Eve. Trentham’s wife replied this was the perfect setting to find out “since Michael Dawe loved this city…”
Red Deer has lost “a living treasure,” said Trentham. “We can’t ask him any more questions because his great mind is no longer with us.”