help put Dwight Welwood to rest.

Hello Haida Gwaii communities -

Sadly Dwight Welwood of Port Clements died suddenly last week at his home. Many of you know his partner Judy Hadley ( of Port Air Cargo fame) who could use some support at this time to cover the costs of putting Dwight to rest at the Masset Cemetery.

Please read about Dwight's life and times below and consider making a donation to help Judy in her time of need. Also if you feel inclined please share this fundraising appeal with your networks.

Dwight Elgin Welwood

Sunrise May 6th 1944 - Sunset April 30th 2024

Age 79 years and 354 days

Born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan to parents Elgin and Pearl Welwood , Dwight spent his early youth with his parents and sister Donna on the 1908 homestead of his grandfather Norman Welwood near Demaine Saskatchewan that was passed on to his father.

When Dwight’s father developed a severe allergy to grain dust and was unable to continue running the farm the family moved to Beechy and then to Wynyard where Dwight finished his senior matriculation (Grade 13) while his father was pursuing alternative career paths after serving in WW2. Dwight then moved to Saskatoon where he attended the University of Saskatoon where he obtained his Bachelor of Arts and Sciences and met his soon to be wife Shirley. They were married on July 23 1966 and moved to BC where Dwight attended Simon Fraser University and received his Bachelor of Education and Political Science.

In 1971 they moved to Masset , Haida Gwaii where they both taught at Tahayghen Elementary for 3 years. In 1974 he bought a commercial salmon troller and fished around Haida Gwaii for 6 years with his buddies Paul Bower, Dan Galloway and Keith Alexander and in the off-season built houses in around Masset with Howard Post. In 1980 he partnered with Dutes Duthiel, Judy Letendre and Brad Morris to build a Gaaw / Nori processing plant on Langara Island with the help of Wilfred Bennet Sr. This plant operated for two seasons under the name of Langara Sea Products before it was barged to Port Clements to become Port Clements Cold Storage. The plant was rebuilt to process Razor Clams from North Beach with new partners Brian and Judy Hadley.

The plant went on to buy razor clams from over 100 Haida nation diggers on North Beach and employ 12 Haida women to process them into butterflied steaks with a further 14 Port Clements people to package and do final inspection.

Dwight and Judy become partners in 1984 and have been together for the past 40 years until his passing this last week.

Dwight was also involved in salal marketing, gold panning, hand logging, mushroom buying/ marketing along with a string of other ventures. Forever on the go he was always working on something or other as well as gardening, deer hunting and fishing.

Dwight is survived by his 3 children and 6 grandchildren - Daughter Chela and Mike and their 2 daughters Cassie and Mikayla - Daughter ShayLin and Jason and their 2 sons Logan and Brody - and son Jonah and Jamara and their son Jakoah and daughter Jayla.