From the humblest of beginnings in Fort Smith, to surviving residential school, and a lengthy career in politics and community service, Anthony (Tony) Whitford was fondly remembered at a State Memorial Service on Saturday.
Former commissioner George Tuccaro emceed the State Memorial Service for Tony Whitford in Great Hall of Assembly on Saturday. (Image courtesy of PIDO/Zoom)
Whitford passed away peacefully on September 16th at the age of 83, in Stanton Territorial Hospital, with his family by his side.
The Great Hall of the NWT Legislative Assembly Building was full of friends and relations of the late MLA, cabinet minister and the territory’s 15th Commissioner for the 75-minute service, which was followed by a reception in a building Whitford truly loved.
The service was emceed by the NWT’s 16th Commissioner, George Tuccaro, and featured Whitford’s family members, long-time friend and fellow Rotarian Peter Vician, and Sandy Lee.
Whitford hired Lee to be his executive assistant and went on to be an MLA and cabinet minister herself.
“Through our mutual work, we travelled together and met thousands of people of every age, culture and title in small communities and big cities in the North, across Canada, the U.S. and the Commonwealth,” recalled Lee.
“The Tony, I saw was the same person, whether he was speaking to an elder in Tsiigehtchic, or at dinner with the Queen in London. He was also a friendly giant to the minority communities in Yellowknife, to which I belonged. He was a special friend to the Vietnamese, Filipinos, Indo-Canadians, Chinese, Armenian, Somali, and every other community.
Former MLA Sandy Lee spoke at the State Memorial Service for Tony Whitford in Great Hall of Assembly on Saturday. (Image courtesy of PIDO/Zoom)
“There was and will never be another being on Earth like Tony J. Whitford. Who else do you know who is a social worker, coroner, justice of the peace, marriage commissioner, carpenter, welder, truck driver, excellent cook, auctioneer extraordinaire, best Santa Claus ever and a master of ceremonies. And that, besides his shining political life and Rotarian life, was a completely another side of his life.
“He was superhuman. He made it all look easy, but behind the scenes, he worked hard.”
Peter Vician was a long-time public servant who was in the Rotary Club of Yellowknife with Whitford since the 1980s.
“Tony was always there to help on community projects and notable efforts for years at Canadian Championship Dog Derby, the Rotary Bike Auction as auctioneer the Rotary Art Auction,” said Vician, not half-way through a list of projects.
“Tony gave endless hours of time to serve the community on behalf of Rotary and there are a few of us in the community that have not heard of, or worked with him, on some project over the years.”
His beloved Rotary Club will erect a memorial bench in Rotary Park in his honour next year.
People are invited to make a donation to the Canadian Cancer Society in Tony Whitford’s memory. He was a survivor, who sadly lost his wife, Mary Elaine Sweet Whitford, to the disease in 2003.
Media were not allowed by Assembly staff to cover the event in person, so this report was compiled via Zoom.
Tony Whitford in photos through the years. (Collage courtesy of NWT Assembly/Facebook)
