By rdnewsNOW staff

a red deer encyclopedia

Michael Dawe, beloved Red Deer city councillor and historian, passes away at 67

Dec 26, 2023 | 5:47 PM

Michael Dawe, a sitting Red Deer city councillor, has passed away, the City of Red Deer confirmed on Boxing Day.

Sixty-seven years of age, Dawe was a fifth generation resident of Red Deer and Pine Lake, Alberta.

Dawe served for many years as the City’s go-to historian, before being elected to city council in 2017, and then getting re-elected in 2021. Both elections, he earned the most votes of any council candidate, of which there were many.

He also served as a councillor for the Summer Village of Norglenwold, near Sylvan Lake, for seven years.

“With much grief and sadness on my heart, I must share, on behalf of my council colleagues the unexpected passing of City Councillor and Red Deer’s most beloved historian, Michael Dawe. Michael’s family has informed us that he passed away on December 24, 2023, and at this time, we must honour his life, and all the good he contributed to this city and to those who surrounded him,” says Mayor Ken Johnston.

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“Michael was an insightful and thoughtful community leader who loved the city of Red Deer with his whole heart. He was devoted to the service of the city, and he made it his life’s work to tell the story of Red Deer and to share the rich history of this community with everybody around him. His roots in this city run deep. He was a proud Albertan, and a proud Red Deerian. But even more important, he was a colleague and friend who will be deeply missed by not only The City of Red Deer and city council, but by the many who knew and loved him.”

Johnston asks that as we all move into 2024, the community thinks about the many contributions of Councillor Dawe.

“He will be sorely missed, and he leaves an indelible mark on our community that loved, and still loves him so much,” Johnston added.

It is with deep sadness that we learn of the passing of City Councillor Michael Dawe, and former City Councillor Frank Wong. Our hearts go out to their families and friends who are grieving right now. They will certainly be missed in our community. pic.twitter.com/w1RM6dFWjs

— The City of Red Deer (@CityofRedDeer) December 27, 2023

Rest in peace Frank and Michael. We thank you and your families for your commitment, wisdom and dedication to #RedDeer, our community and municipal public service. https://t.co/peLuJASte4

— Dianne Wyntjes 🇨🇦 (@dianwyntjes) December 27, 2023

More with Michael Dawe:

• HMCS Red Deer: Minesweeper, Rescuer, Survivor
• Michael Dawe announces retirement from role as City Historian
• West Park Community Association marks 60 years
• Councillor Dawe disappointed by threatening phone call over mask debate
• Mixed reaction from Red Deer politicians and doctors on provincial health care announcement
• Dawe desperate for return of stolen book research
• Book, Pathways to Education in Red Deer, gets relaunch this Saturday

In an interview Tuesday, former Red Deer Mayor Morris Flewelling, shared his thoughts on Dawe, with whom he worked for many years at the Red Deer Museum, Dawe in the Archives department.

“He was always very serious in adding to or building whatever was going on in the city. That’s why he joined the Archives as basically a child, at 12 or 14,” Flewelling recalls.

L-R: Lorna Johnson, unknown, Jan Sirrs and Michael Dawe at a Red Deer and District Museum luncheon in Red Deer, 2007. (P19752, Red Deer Archives)

“He did a magnificent job there of collecting material that reflected the heartbeat of the community. One of the first things that brought Michael to my attention was when he won the Governor General’s Medal in Grade 9 at Eastview.”

Flewelling adds that Dawe very much cared about service, exemplified by his many years on the hospital board, and roughly four decades as a member of the Red Deer East Rotary Club, among numerous other roles. Dawe also showed dedication in authoring and co-authoring several books about Red Deer’s history.

Boy, did he know his history.

“Michael knew absolutely every detail he ever learned or heard, and he had a mind like a computer. It took him seconds to Google into that mind and come up with information that was obscure or little-known, but often very helpful and sometimes unique,” says Flewelling.

“He could remember things that were inconsequential, and you didn’t argue with him because he was always right. And if he didn’t know something, he didn’t say it.”

Dawe was recently featured in a recent documentary, The Currency of Contribution.

Former Mayor Tara Veer also shared condolences via X, saying, “I am deeply saddened to hear of the passing of long time friend & colleague, Councillor Michael Dawe. He was incredibly community minded, cared about people & knew our Red Deer’s history in a way that is irreplaceable. My heartfelt condolences to Michael’s family & many friends.”

Former Red Deer City Manager Craig Curtis says he and Michael Dawe had been close friends since 1980, when Curtis immigrated to Canada and came to Red Deer to work as a planner.

“He’s actually a Godfather to my son Brent, and he and I have done a lot of things together, travelled together,” says Curtis. “He was the archivist. In fact, in the early years that I was here, Michael, Larry Pimm, Morris (Flewwelling), and myself, we were on the first Historical Preservation Committee, which advocated the preservation of the station (train station), the (original) courthouse, and the library – the children’s library, the old firehall. Those were big steps in those days as all those things were scheduled for potential demolition and Michael provided the historical backup and all of that.”

Curtis notes that Dawe also advocated to save the former Michener Administration building at the top of Michener Hill, originally the former ladies college.

“We also funded him from the City to write the history of Red Deer and he produced a remarkable book. So his legacy as archivist and historian is right across the province and right across the community. Everybody knows him and he’s really made a huge contribution to understanding and supporting the history of the city,” adds Curtis.

In addition to running as an MLA in Red Deer, Dawe also served as Chair of the former David Thompson Health Board for several years.

“He was still a strong advocate of regional health service delivery,” says Curtis. “He was a remarkable community collaborator and person, but also a really really good friend.”

Sheldon Spackman, rdnewsNOW editor and long-time reporter in Red Deer, also reflected Tuesday on the many interviews conducted with Dawe over the years.

“I am shocked and extremely saddened to hear this news. I have known Michael Dawe for 17 years and have interviewed him countless times on a wide variety of topics. He was without a doubt, an expert on all things Red Deer,” Spackman shared.

“If there was something you wanted or needed to know about our city, Michael knew it. Michael cared about our community very deeply and served it with great dignity for many years. Just as importantly, he was a kind, thoughtful, and wonderful person to know on a personal level as well. His loss to this community is immeasurable. I hold Michael Dawe in the highest regard possible. Always have. Always will.”

Among Dawe’s many accolades is recognition in 2013 as Red Deer’s Citizen of the Year. In 2012, he received the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal, in 1999, he was inducted into the Lindsay Thurber Hall of Fame, and in 1997, he became an inaugural recipient of the Red Deer College Distinguished Alumnus Award.

Michael Dawe was the son of G. Harold Dawe, whom the G.H. Dawe Centre is named after.

The flags at Red Deer City Hall will be brought to half staff in the coming day, in recognition of Councillor Michael Dawe’s passing.