Obituary of Mary Elizabeth Challen Hawryluk

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Mary Elizabeth Challen “Liz” Hawryluk, a longtime resident of Dawson Creek, British Columbia, on Saturday, December 30, 2023, at the age of 64 years.

Liz Hawryluk was born Mary Elizabeth Challen Clark in Bella Coola to John and Peggy (Margaret) Clark on Sunday, November 22, 1959. During her childhood, they moved to Haida Gwaii where her brother Challen was born in 1966, and then on to Port McNeill. Eventually, the family moved to Hope, where Liz graduated from high school. During high school, Liz collected many medals and awards as a cross country athlete; she was even in the local newspaper multiple times. After high school, she attended BCIT for the laboratory technologist program. Shortly after graduating, she moved up to Dawson Creek to work at a medical clinic. Eventually, she switched to the Dawson Creek and District Hospital where she remained for the rest of her career. Liz met Michael Albert Hawryluk in 1982. They married in 1984 and welcomed two wonderful sons, Sean Michael (1987) and Myles Richard (1990). During their childhoods, the family went on holidays to Haida Gwaii, Powell River, Disneyland, and the Okanagan to visit the Clark family orchard. They enjoyed ocean fishing and going on camping trips. They still enjoyed these adventures when the boys graduated, and when Sean went off to university and started his career in Prince George. Liz was delighted with the births of Sean and Katlynn’s daughters: Lisa Elizabeth (2019) and Isabelle Joyce (2022). Sean and Katlynn finally got married in 2023 – a celebration of life, love and family – which was a very meaningful event for all of us.

Throughout her life, Liz was very creative and enjoyed knitting, sewing, quilting, and embroidery. With her cancer support group, she discovered a talent and love for watercolours and photography. She also developed a reputation throughout her life for canning, baking and gardening. She was an eclectic and voracious reader, and she enjoyed walking and hiking with friends.

She was very loved by her coworkers and was seen as competent, kind, inclusive, fair, helpful and hilarious. Her attention to detail was so good that she found malaria on a slide under the microscope (much like looking for a needle in a haystack) a remarkable feat considering it was not on the radar to be screened for.

She cared deeply for her family and supported Myles through his sometimes difficult medical journey. She was the matriarch of the family and kept everything afloat.

We were fortunate to enjoy one last Christmas with her, and she blessed us with her radiant smiles until the end. She passed away on December 30^th, 2023, with her family and closest friends at her bedside in her beloved home. Her oncology physician often referred to her as the ‘cat with nine lives’, and we enjoyed four precious years after her cancer diagnosis. We will miss her greatly, and she will be there in our thoughts for every important event of our lives.

We are very grateful for the help and support of some of Liz’s closest friends and family during her last days and realize that there are others who would have loved to be closer geographically. You were all very important to her. Thank you!

We will not be having a funeral at this time, but we will inform people about a ‘Celebration of Life’ at the family farm during the summer of 2024.

Very Respectfully, Reynars Funeral Home and Crematorium