It is with great sadness that we announce the unexpected passing of our beloved mother, Denise Catherine Bouchard-Wood. She passed away at her home in Lake Helen on Tuesday, September 19, 2023. Denise was born in Fort William on April 15, 1959.
She worked many jobs throughout her life in social work, accounting and most notably as the Manager of the Red Rock Indian Band. More recently, she was an entrepreneur and was successful at everything she set her mind to.
She was passionate about photography and never went anywhere without her camera. She loved driving long distances across the whole country listening to music in search of the perfect shot. She loved learning about culture, her own and others. She took every opportunity to attend film festivals, music concerts or Pow Wows. And she dreamt of traveling the whole world or in her own words meandering.
She was someone who loved nature. If she wasn’t photographing it, she wanted to be in it as much as possible. She loved every chance she got to go camping, hunting or fishing and loved to decorate her spaces with anything reminiscent of nature. She particularly loved Lake Helen and took thousands of photos during her walks of the surrounding area. At the same time, Denise loved technology. Whether it was learning about the latest gadgets and software for work and creativity, playing video games in her time off, or more recently spending hours exploring artificial intelligence.
She was a devoted and loyal friend, ready to drop everything to help someone or just to have a chat, a coffee or a meal even when friends called from as far as BC, Montreal or Toronto. And more than anything, she adored her sons and granddaughters and loved any chance she had to spend time with them.
As a community leader she was a visionary - always making connections with people she met and places she visited so that she could bring the best back to her own community. She didn’t take no for an answer - if she could dream it, she would stop at nothing to make it happen. Enumerating all of her accomplishments, small and large, would be impossible but some highlights include: serving on the board of the Ontario Native Welfare Administrators Association; helping draft the Ontario Government’s Income Security Roadmap for Change as a member of the First Nations Income Security Reform Working Group; working with the Canadian Women’s Foundation and Canada Learning Code to bring Digital Skills training to the women of the Long Lake #58 First Nation; building an internet cafe at Long Lake #58; traveling to northern communities with mental health support workers; exploring ways to provide affordable nutrition in remote communities; and being a dedicated mentor to the staff she led for decades.
Denise is survived by her sons, Graeme and Andrew; her former partner and friend, David Neegan; her current partner Bo; father figure and friend Billy Chapman; aunt Esther Chapman; grandchildren Cynthia and Creedance, sibling Louise; numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and many friends. She was preceded in death by her adoptive parents Don and Edna Wood; biological mother Bridgette Bouchard; sister Kathleen Ignace. She will also be deeply missed by the many communities that she spent a lifetime contributing to, to ensure that they thrived, and even the many that she hoped to contribute to in the future.
A Celebration of Denise's Life will be held on Sunday, September 24, 2023 from 2:00pm until 6:00pm in the Lake Helen Community Centre. Interment will take place at a later date. Should friends so desire, donations made in memory of Denise to Graeme Bouchard-Wood would be greatly appreciated.
Arrangements have been entrusted to the WESTFORT CHAPEL, 420 West Gore Street at James, Thunder Bay.
Please sign the online condolences at everestofthunderbay.com
