Peggy Elsa Ann Dromisky (née Stenback)
| Peggy Elsa Ann Dromisky | |
|---|---|
| née Stenback; Peggy Stenback | |
| Born | 1936-06-25 Flett, Forbes Township, Thunder Bay District, Ontario |
| Died | 2024-07-17 Thunder Bay, Ontario |
| Occupation | Teacher; teacher-librarian; special education resource teacher |
| Father | |
| Mother | |
| Partner | |
Peggy Elsa Ann Dromisky (née Stenback; 25 June 1936 – 17 July 2024) was a Fort William and Thunder Bay schoolteacher, teacher-librarian and special education teacher, and the wife of Stan Dromisky, Member of Parliament for Thunder Bay—Atikokan. Born in Flett in Forbes Township, she graduated from Fort William Collegiate Institute, worked her first job at the Fort Theatre in Westfort, and taught for the Fort William and later Thunder Bay school boards. She was active in teachers' organizations, the Fort William Kinette Club and the Association for Children with Learning Disabilities, and later served on parliamentary spouses' associations in Ottawa.[1][2]
Early life
- Born 25 June 1936 in a small cabin at Flett, Forbes Township, in the Thunder Bay District.[1]
- She shared her birthday (25 June) with her future husband, Stan.[1]
- Eldest of seven children of Hjalmar (known as Jan) and Gertrude (known as Trudy) Stenback.[1]
- Spent much of her childhood on the Flett farm of her maternal grandparents, Elsa and Nester Maki; she called her grandmother "Mummu" (Finnish for grandma).[1]
- At age 11 she was reported as a speaking-contest winner (1947).[3]
Education
- Won academic awards throughout her schooling.[1]
- Graduated with honours from Fort William Collegiate Institute.[1]
- In high school: cheerleader, drama club member, volleyball and basketball player, and president of the Girls Athletic Society.[1]
- Won scholarships in 1954, reported several times in the Times-Journal.[4][5][6]
- Earned her Ontario Teaching Certificate at London Normal School in 1955, where she met Stan Dromisky.[1]
- Completed a Bachelor of Arts, a Bachelor of Education and a Special Education Specialist designation at Lakehead University in 1978.[1]
Career
- First job: at the Fort Theatre in Westfort, Fort William.[1]
- Spent a summer in Niagara Falls as a "Farmerette", picking fruit.[1]
- Playground supervisor at Tarbutt Park for three summers; in her final summer she was made head supervisor of all the city's parks.[1][7][8][9]
- Began teaching for the Fort William Board of Education at Isabella School; she appears in the 1957 list of Fort William teacher appointments.[1][10]
- 1972–1974: lived in Gainesville, Florida, with her husband and daughters while Stan completed his Ph.D.[1]
- After returning to Thunder Bay in 1974: teacher-librarian at McKellar Park Central School, where she set up and ran a new library, and for many years the school's special education resource teacher.[1]
- Received a long-service award from the Lakehead Board of Education (reported 1989).[11]
Professional and community life
- Founding member of the Association for Children with Learning Disabilities.[1]
- Active member and past president of the Fort William Kinette Club.[1]
- Long-time member of the Federation of Women Teachers of Ontario, which gave her a life membership.[1]
- President of the Lakehead Women Teachers Association.[1][12]
- "Silver Sister" of Alpha Delta Kappa, the teachers' sorority.[1]
- After retiring, she lived part-time in Ottawa during her husband's three terms as MP for Thunder Bay—Atikokan, and sat on the executives of the National Parliamentary Spouses Association and the Liberal Parliamentary Spouses Association.[1]
- Quietly supported many people and organizations.[1]
Interests
- Art collecting, painting, world travel and cooking with her husband.[1]
- Crocheting, cross-stitching and reading.[1]
- Summers at Two Island Lake with her family.[1]
- Dice games and Upwords with her sisters.[1]
- Played bridge with the same group of friends for more than 50 years; for over 30 years the group made a September trip to Duluth.[1]
Family
- Parents: Hjalmar (Jan) and Gertrude (Trudy) Stenback, both of whom died before her. Her father may be the Hjalmar Stenback (c. 1912–1967) of Fort William, and her mother may be Gertrude Marie Stenback (died 2003); neither match is confirmed.[1]
- Maternal grandparents: Elsa and Nester Maki of Flett.[1]
- Husband: Stan Dromisky (Stanley "Staush" Dromisky, 1931–2023), whom she met when she was 18. They married on 19 May 1956 and were together 67 years. He died before her.[1]
- Daughters: Jan Lynne and Susan (probably Susan Smith (née Dromisky)).[1]
- Grandchildren: Michael Dromisky, Myra Dromisky-Perron, Keenan Smith, Jessica Dromisky and Jarod Farrant.[1]
- Five great-grandchildren.[1]
- Siblings who survived her: Shirley Hill, Beverley Simms, David Stenback, Daniel Stenback and Debra Cancelliere. Her sister Gail McEachern died before her.[1]
Death and memorials
- Died 17 July 2024 after care at Plaza 2 of Pioneer Ridge, Thunder Bay's long-term care home.[1]
- A celebration of life was held at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, 20 August 2024, at the Vickers Heights Community Centre, 1695 Broadway Avenue, Thunder Bay.[1]
- Memorial gifts were directed to the Dr. Stan Dromisky Memorial Award at Lakehead University, which was to be renamed the Dr. Stan and Peggy Dromisky Memorial Award.[1]
- Online condolences were taken by Northwestern Funeral Assistance (nwfainc.com).[1]
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.25 1.26 1.27 1.28 1.29 1.30 1.31 1.32 1.33 1.34 1.35 1.36 1.37 1.38 Template:Cite web
- ↑ The Chronicle-Journal, 3 August 2024, p. 1(D)
- ↑ Fort William Daily Times-Journal, 8 November 1947, p. 1
- ↑ Fort William Daily Times-Journal, 6 November 1954, p. 5
- ↑ Fort William Daily Times-Journal, 9 September 1954, p. 17
- ↑ Fort William Daily Times-Journal, 7 September 1954, p. 24
- ↑ Fort William Daily Times-Journal, 27 June 1953, p. 1
- ↑ Fort William Daily Times-Journal, 2 July 1954, p. 12
- ↑ Fort William Daily Times-Journal, 26 August 1955, p. 1
- ↑ Fort William Daily Times-Journal, 22 May 1957, p. 16
- ↑ The Chronicle-Journal, 2 May 1989, p. 3
- ↑ The Chronicle-Journal, 15 April 1988, p. 19