It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved brother and son Douglas Gregory Ritchie, after a brief illness. Doug passed away with his wife France Benoit at his side in Yellowknife, NWT. He was predeceased by his father Ken (2004) and is survived by France, his mother Lyn, siblings Michael (Deb), Bruce (Deb Mitchell) and Jo-Anne (Blake Dean), nephews Mark (Rianna), William (Ally) and Spencer, and nieces Jillian and Elizabeth.
Doug was born in Kelowna BC and graduated from KLO high school (1980), SFU (B Econ 1985) and Dalhousie (MPA 1992).
Doug and France lived in a small log cabin on a lake just north of Yellowknife, with the sun and wind as their main sources of power and where they grew much of their own food.
Doug spent most of his career as a public servant in the NWT. Much of this time was as a Manager in the Department of Health and Social Services for the NWT Government, challenging work he enjoyed. In 2004 Doug left government to work for Ecology North, a small non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of sustainable living, climate change awareness and waste reduction. In 2011 Doug took up an exciting new challenge in working for the Yellowknives Dene First Nation on similar issues.
Doug made it his life's work to strive for the betterment of society and the environment. Doug was always well informed, persevered with integrity, realism and humour, and led by hard work and example.
A funeral will be held for Doug at St. Michael and All Angels' Cathedral at 608 Sutherland Avenue at 2:00 pm on Friday, January 30th, 2015. A memorial service will be held in the spring for Doug in Yellowknife at Dettah at the Chief Drygeese Centre.
In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Doug can be made to Ecology North or the YWCA Yellowknife. An NWT environmental stewardship fund will be established in the near future to honour Doug's work.