Good afternoon, colleagues. Today, I would like to celebrate the life of Stephanie "Sweet Pea" Squirrel. She was born on September 15th, 1988, to Loretta and Steve Squirrel. She was the youngest of five children.
Stephanie attended school in Fort Simpson. I can remember the first time I met her. It was in Grade 1, and she attended school with my daughter. It is interesting what you remember of youth when they are young. What struck me about Stephanie was her smile, energy, and willingness to always want to help her classmates. As she grew up, this was what people saw. She was always there looking after others, especially young children.
I can tell you, three of my grandchildren were always excited to see her, whether it was on the street or at daycare. They spoke about how nice she was, and I witnessed her pure kindness and care she would give to them. Unfortunately, she passed away on August 3rd, 2024, at the young age of 35.
On Monday, August 19th, the family had a Celebration of Life. Two of her best friends, Jocelyn Kierstead and Brittany Hardisty-Isaiah did her eulogy. I have attached them at the end of this speech and would like them deemed as read and printed in Hansard.
What I can tell you, they both spoke about how full of life she was. Always thinking of others, especially the young children, whether they were her nieces, nephews, friends' children, or ones from the daycare. She wanted them to enjoy life and make the most of things. The other that that jumped out at me from their eulogy, the first being, live in the moment. Sometimes you don't do what you plan on doing, like going out but end up in bed watching movies, chatting and dancing with your best friend into all hours of the night, and it being the best time.
The second thing was family time and the willingness to go on adventures with them and loved ones. Whether it was done with trips to Edmonton, Vegas, Mexico, or at the snye or visiting friends or family at home. You can always have fun and enjoy the company you are with regardless of where you are. This was who Stephanie was.
Her family and her boyfriend would like to thank all the people who were able to come to her Celebration of Life and all the condolences from people who were not able to attend. My condolences go out to the family. She will be sadly missed by us all.
Eulogy for Stephanie M. Squirrel (Jocelyn Kierstead and Brittany Hardisty Isaiah):
Stephanie (sweet pea) was a kind, loving, funny, selfless, beautiful soul. This isn't even a fraction of what I can say of who she was as a person, if anyone knew her, she was so much more than words can describe. She was an amazing at everything and an amazing friend, always there to have a shoulder to cry on, made you feel so comfortable and warm. She could always brighten up any room with her contagious smile and incredibly wicked humour but can also smack the Band-Aid off someone if you needed her to. I'll always remember the days we would make plans and end up staying in bed watching movies and singing and laughing all night.
Stephanie had a place in her heart for all children in her care as if they were her own. She was passionate about providing a safe, nurturing space for them. From the kids at the daycare to her many nieces, nephews, and little cousins. Steph had an abundance of love and patience for children.
As the youngest of 5 siblings, she earned her nickname of sweet pea and baby and was adored by those who knew her. Stephanie looked up to her big sisters, was protected by her older brothers, adored her father, and was devoted to loving and caring for her mother. Like most of us in a small community, Steph had a lot of cousins she grew up with that were like siblings. Family time and values are things Stephanie treasured. From trips to Edmonton, to birthdays, holidays, and weddings, she could always be found at the family gatherings.
Steph was never one to miss out on an opportunity to have fun and adventure whether it was a Las Vega trip with her sisters and Aunt, to a wedding vacation in Mexico, or a trip down to the snye floating bridge with her pops.
Steph's interest in astrology and her own zodiac sign reflected in her personality; humble, grounded, self-sufficient. She even has a tattoo of the Virgo constellation. I'd like to thank you for joining us to celebrate her life here on Earth, now she is our own STAR in the sky full of constellations.
