LORETTA ECCLES

LORETTA DAWN ECCLES
She once said she wanted her obituary to read simply: "She lived. She died." In that spirit, we begin here.

She Lived

Loretta Dawn Eccles (née Reimer), known to all as Dawn, was born at sunrise in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on February 3, 1937, the date of which was always remembered by her family as "the day after Groundhog Day." She grew up in Carman, MB, and later Steinbach, MB, at the now site of the Mennonite Heritage Museum, before leaving for university in Saskatchewan. From an early age, she distinguished herself academically, earning the Governor General's Medal in high school, and went on to live a life defined by intelligence, service, humour, and quiet strength.

Dawn's primary joy in life was her family, watching them develop into adults of whom she was very proud. She also had a life-long love of her many Newfoundland dogs and her one Great Dane, who owned her from 1967 on to 2026. As a child, she even had a pet beaver, which was an early indication of her lifelong affection for animals. Dawn married Charles James "Jim" Eccles on March 23, 1963, after a 3-month courtship, and together they created a life in Fort William (now Thunder Bay) before moving to the Municipality of Shuniah in 1979 in the house she designed and they built together.

Dawn had a distinguished career spanning more than six decades. She convocated from the University of Saskatchewan twice: once with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1959, again with a Certificate in Health Care Administration in 1991. She spent many years in various health care fields, practicing nursing at Winnipeg General Hospital (now Winnipeg Health Sciences), McKellar General Hospital as Assistant Director of Nursing Service in 1962-63, Port Arthur General Hospital School of Nursing, Lakehead University, Confederation College, and retired as Assistant Administrator of Patient Care and Chief Nurse Executive from Lakehead Psychiatric Hospital. Following retirement, Dawn was appointed chair of the Northwest Mental Health Implementation Task Force, and a public member of the Consent and Capacity Board and the Ontario Review Board, which she served into her 80s.

Dawn served on Shuniah Planning Advisory Committee, Shuniah Committee of Adjustment, Lakehead Region Conservation Authority, and as Reeve of Shuniah from 1991 to 1994, being the first woman to do so. She was also active in the Progressive Conservative Party from the 1950s through to the 1990s, and in the Shrine Ladies in Thunder Bay.

But titles and roles only tell part of the story.

Dawn was warm, funny, practical, and possessed of a wry sense of humour that could disarm or delight in equal measure. She showed her love not through grand gestures, but by quietly making things better through solving problems, taking care of details, and ensuring that those around her were safe, comfortable, and looked after. When you were with her, you felt that things were just fine.

Dawn loved her entire larger family. She believed that love must be unconditional, and she lived by that. She was a big supporter of her sister and brother and their children, always interested in their lives and often making and sending handmade gifts for their babies. She was blessed to find and come to love a new brother, sister-in-law, and many nephews, nieces, and more, when she happily discovered her biological family six years ago.

She loved curling, figure skating, sewing, gardening, boating, fishing, and spent many happy hours with her husband, Jim, on Lake Superior.

She was the greatest example of a kind, gentle, and strong woman that her daughters have ever had the honour to know, and they are profoundly proud to be hers.

She lived fully, capably, and on her own terms, in the house that she and Jim built, until the end.

She Died

Dawn died peacefully, held by her daughters and surrounded by love, on March 16, 2026, in Thunder Bay, Ontario, at the age of 89.

She was predeceased by her beloved husband, Jim Eccles; her parents, Peter and Ann Reimer; her biological parents, Joel Teich and Alice Cheney; her cousin, Pat Hurlburt; several extended family members; and, not least, the many Newfoundland dogs, Great Dane, and other pets she loved over a lifetime.

She is lovingly remembered by her daughters Naomi Vondell (née Ann-Louise Eccles), Barbara Eccles (Ken MacIntosh), and Jennifer Eccles (Bob Tweedy); her grandchildren Peter, James, Piper, Ky, Nico, Connor (Katie), and Jordan; her sister Sue-Ann Doerksen (Stan), brothers Dwight Reimer (Carolyn Kennedy) and Ira Teich (Janet Starr); cousin Grace Fitzell (Errol), sister-in-law Marguerite Davies; and many nieces, nephews, extended family, and friends.

Visitation will be held at Harbourview Funeral Centre on March 25, 2026, at 10:00 a.m., followed by a service at 11:00 a.m. and a reception. Interment at Sunset Memorial Gardens will follow in the afternoon.

The family extends heartfelt thanks to all her caregivers through the years for their dedication and care.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that donations be made to the Municipality of Shuniah in Dawn's memory. Contributions will be directed toward community initiatives that reflect her dedication to community service and local leadership.

Dawn's final message, as written by her in 2009:

It's probably not a surprise that I want to have a last word. Although I have never particularly looked forward to being the guest of honour at a funeral, I guess that's happened.

I was so blessed to have been adopted into and surrounded by a loving family, to have had many years of service to my community, to the people with a serious mental illness who might have benefited from my work, but most of all by being blessed with three loving daughters and their father. When we were young, we said we wanted to grow old together. God allowed us to do just that, for which I am grateful.

I have only one suggestion to pass along to you: look around you at the people you love, grab their hand and don't let go.

On line condolences may be offered at www.jenkensfuneral.ca