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w w w .i n si d eH A LT O N .c o m O A K V IL LE B EA V ER Fr id ay , S ep te m be r 9, 2 01 1 2 2 LivingO k ill LIVING EDITOR: ANGELA BLACKBURN Phone: 905-337-5560 e-mail: ablackburn@oakvillebeaver.com By Angela Blackburn OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF The late Eileen Pettigrew of Oakville was a petite woman with a large interest in life and people. The Calgary native who was born on April 25, 1929, died at Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital on Aug. 30 one day shy of her 60th wedding anniversary. Pettigrew is survived by her husband Stuart, who according to their daughter Anne Pettigrew, fell for her moms voice after call- ing on the telephone while she was working as a receptionist for a friend of his in Calgary. Pettigrew may have spent her early career working on telephones, but it was writing that proved to be her lifelong passion. And it was her keen interest in just about everything and everyone around her that led to some notable published works. My mom was interested in people. She would talk to people in the line at the store to find out about them. It was like she was a born interviewer. She was really interested and she was interested in the answers, said Anne. A keen fan of the Oakville Historical Society and local historical homes, the Pettigrews were also among the first people to join the Sir John Colborne Recreation Centre for Seniors. It was far from the rural Alberta landscape where Pettigrew and her two sisters, Lillian and the late Beverly, were raised, attending a one-room schoolhouse, until her fathers death forced the family to move into Calgary while Pettigrew was a young teen. Im not sure there was even a town there, said Anne, noting nonetheless her mom hailed from a literary family. Pettigrews mother was a teacher and her late sister Beverly, who was an author. After marrying in 1951, the couple moved to Ottawa where they lived for nearly 30 years before moving to Oakville. Pettigrew worked as a writer and research- er of government publications before embark- ing on her own freelance work. Among her notable works was a Readers Digest article on the late Terry Fox that was titled I Believe in Miracles. Anne noted her mom wrote the article prior to Fox becoming a Canadian hero. Pettigrew also authored a book, Silent Enemy: Canada and the Deadly Flu of 1918 in the early 1980s. Later, though her own children, Anne and John, had grown and she had yet to have grandchildren William and Joshua Pettigrew wrote childrens books, including Nighttime and Desdemona Saves the Day. She wrote hundreds of articles, said Anne. Pettigrews funeral service was held Wednesday at Kopriva Taylor Community Funeral Home (condolences may be made through www.koprivataylor.com). In lieu of flowers, donations are being directed to the Heart and Stroke Foundation. Pettigrew had suffered a major stroke in 2002 and fought hard to recover, said Anne. She was a really, really strong person. She was very tiny, she looked small, but she was tough, said Anne, noting she fought hard to recover from the stroke. On Saturday, Sept. 17, there will be a fundraiser at Niblicks Restaurant in the Upper Oakville Place Plaza at Eighth Line and Upper Middle Road. All proceeds from the event will go to sup- port work with youths on northern Ontarios reserves through John and Janet Reynolds. The Reynolds moved from Halton to just outside of Aroland First Nation seven years ago at the urging of a young First Nations friend. The suicide rate for First Nations youths is the highest in the world; 13 times higher than the average Canadian rate. This would be equivalent to 17,000 people taking their lives every year in Toronto. Those statistics floored us, said John. High unemployment and high school drop-out rates, alcohol and drug abuse, Type 2 diabetes at epidemic proportions, dispro- portionate prison rates and a staggering number of children in foster care, were some of the problems the Reynolds' were intro- duced to, which made them want to help. Substance abuse, family breakdown and unemployment are all far higher on reserves. We just want to be friends and try to give the youths hope for better lives, said John. The Reynolds provide kayak trips on Lake Superior, winter camping and ski trips and a drop-in centre for activities, but there is still much to be done. The Oakville fundraiser begins at 8 p.m. There will be a silent auction, door prizes, and live music by The Daily Howl. Admission is $10/person, or $15/couple. For those unable to attend, but who want to support the work of the Reynolds, dona- tions can be made through Adventive Cross Cultural Initiatives (ACCI). Designate for John and Janet Reynolds. Donate online at Canada Helps or by cheque to ACCI Canada, 89 Auriga Dr., Nepean, ON K2E 7Z2 For further information or for silent auc- tion donations contact Rina Pennett, at 905- 829-3441 or nonna@cogeco.ca. For more information, visit http://peopleservingpeople. ca/. Mom wrote about Terry Fox and the 1918 flu Oakville fundraiser at Niblick Sept. 17 aims to help First Nations youths SUBMITTED PHOTO EILEEN PETTIGREW: The late Eileen Pettigrew of Oakville turned her genuine interest in people and her penchant for interviewing and researching into hundreds of articles including a Reader's Digest article on Terry Fox titled I Believe in Miracles and a book, Silent Enemy: Canada and the Deadly Flu of 1918. She was a really, really strong person. She was very tiny, she looked small, but she was tough. Anne Pettigrew, daughter of the late Eileen Pettigrew