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A member of the first Canadian women's field hockey team, Florence became a physical education teacher in Burnaby. She and four of her colleagues bought a cabin on Alta Lake in the 1950s and dubbed it "Witsend." Weekends and summers were spent at Alta Lake until Florence retired in 1983 and joined her husband, Andy, as a full-time Whistler resident. Those summers included many adventures, like the hike and culinary disaster that spawned the Burnt Stew name for a bowl on Whistler Mountain.
Florence was known to many as Whistler's marriage commissioner, presiding over more than 1,000 marriages, some in locations as diverse as mountain tops and bungee jump bridges. She was awarded the Freedom of the Municipality of Whistler in the spring of 2012, four months before she passed away at the age of 83.
Dave Cathers
Dave Cathers came to Whistler in 1972, drawn by a love of skiing and the mountains. When a fatal avalanche on Whistler Mountain that winter exposed the community's inability to perform backcountry searches, Dave and a handful of others formed Whistler Search and Rescue in 1973. In the 40 years since then Whistler SAR has rescued innumerable people and saved an untold numbers of lives.
That's a tremendous legacy in itself, but it was Dave's direction that led Whistler SAR to emphasize teamwork and high-level alpine skills, traits that set the Whistler Search and Rescue team apart.
Dave was deeply involved in the Whistler community as a coach, heli-ski guide, an owner of a construction company, a volunteer firefighter and member of the Whistler Health Care Centre planning committee. His efforts were recognized with a Citizen of the Year award.
Dave passed away Sept. 1, 2012 at the age of 66 from multiple myeloma.
ART DEN DUYF
When Art Den Duyf disagreed with someone, they knew it. But as public as some of his opinions were, his generosity was a private matter.
"He looked after people who were short of money, and nobody really knows about that side of him," said Peter Alder.
Art emigrated from Holland with his family in 1954. They moved to Whistler in 1978 and established the Sabre group of companies. Their involvement in excavation and construction included breaking ground for Whistler Village.
"He was very generous supporting the families of his workers and making sure they were taken care of," said Alder. "He never wanted to take credit for it, but it was unbelievable how much good he did behind the scenes."
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