Three hundred people gathered at the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre last Friday afternoon to celebrate the life of former Yukon premier Dennis Fentie.

Fentie, who served two terms as premier from 2002 to 2011, died in August at Whitehorse General Hospital. He was 68.

The late premier was remembered as a passionate, outspoken leader who advocated tirelessly for the territory while in office.

A series of tributes was given by Commissioner Angélique Bernard, Premier Sandy Silver, long-time partner Lorraine Nixon, former cabinet minister Archie Lang and Said Secerbegovic, a longtime Watson Lake physician.

Elaine Taylor, also a minister under Fentie, was the master of ceremonies. The event was livestreamed to the Yukon government’s Facebook page.

Bernard credited Fentie for the conception of the Yukon Forum, the construction of the current Whitehorse Public Library at the cultural centre, the climate change research centre at Yukon College and the French language services directorate.

Silver lauded Fentie’s “calm, plain-spoken approach” to leadership. He expressed gratitude for the advice and attention Fentie paid him when Silver was a fledgling opposition politician.

“He was more concerned about people than politics,” Silver said. “He made sure local concerns were understood and expressed in our legislature … he got things done.”

Liard First Nation Chief George Morgan spoke of Fentie’s long history of advocacy for the people of Watson Lake, where Fentie resided for approximately five decades.

“Dennis was a local guy who grew up and made it big–– even if it was in politics,” Morgan said with a laugh.

He recalled Fentie, before his political days, uniting Yukon loggers to champion equal opportunity for the Liard First Nation. Fentie argued that there should be no more log allocations until the First Nation was given fair share, and he managed to bring the local industry on board.

“It was at that time that it became apparent to (the Liard First Nation) that this man had some political chops,” Morgan said.

Morgan recalled his personal relationship with Fentie, strengthened by a mutual love for politics, sports, Guinness and appreciation for a perfectly cooked prime rib.

“Dennis’ true talent was nicknames,” Morgan said. “Many of you in this room may have had one, but you may not have known it.”

Nixon, who was Fentie’s partner for approximately three decades, gave an emotional tribute to the love they shared.

“He gave me inspiration, confidence and volumes of information and advice,” Nixon said.

“Now, simple things bring him to mind: like a road trip on the Alaska Highway, early-morning sunshine and my first cup of coffee of the day that he so often delivered to me.”

She described their relationship as full of humour, love and honesty. They committed “through thick and thin,” she said, when Fentie’s time in office necessitated they spend time apart.

When they faced marital problems, Fentie would demand they “stick handle” the challenge.

“Dennis didn’t quote poetry, he wasn’t thinking about me every moment, but he gave me a part of him that he knew I could break,” she said. “I found strength knowing Dennis was a true friend, a soul mate.”

Lang, who was the minister of Highways and Public Works during Fentie’s time in office, described the pair’s 30-year friendship.

“Dennis taught me how to play bridge the way they play bridge in prison,” he joked.

Before his political days, Fentie worked as a bartender for Lang at the Watson Lake Hotel.

“Dennis came back to Watson Lake with a box of clothes and started his life over again,” Lang said of Fentie in the 1970s. “He had to work, and he did work. Dennis always had two or three jobs.”

It was Fentie who convinced Lang to run for office in the 2002 election, in which the Yukon Party defeated the then-Liberal government of premier Pat Duncan.

“He was an amazing leader. He was fair, he was very supportive of all of us as his colleagues,” Lang said.

He recalled Fentie’s love of the combat in the legislature.

“The opposition would say something, and he’d hook up his pants, and I’d think, ‘OK, this is going to be bad,’” Lang recalled. “He’d blast them … and lots of times they wouldn’t ask the second question.”

Secerbegovic described Fentie as a powerful leader thanks to his charisma and tenacity.

“Once Dennis set his mind to something, it was 90 per cent achieved,” Secerbegovic said.

Secerbegovic credited Fentie as a leader who prioritized the communities, leading to modern hospitals and senior complexes built in Watson Lake and Dawson City thanks to a major boost in funding from Ottawa.

Fentie’s eulogy was read by Patti McLeod, who succeeded Fentie as the Yukon Party MLA for Watson Lake.

Fentie grew up in the Yukon with his mother, Mary, who divorced his father shortly after he was born. As a young adult, he worked as a truck driver, which “introduced him to a bad crowd” and led to his spending a year in an Alberta jail for drug trafficking in the 1970s.

“He walked away determined not to let his past define him,” McLeod said.

Fentie moved back to the Yukon shortly after and worked in several industries, volunteered as a hockey coach and became the director of the chamber of commerce.

His work in multiple fields gave him a wide skill set that proved invaluable to him as a leader.

McLeod described Fentie as a history buff with a photographic memory and an “uncanny” ability to see potential problems. He was often described as a “working maniac,” she said.

His advocacy work for the betterment of Watson Lake naturally led him to a career in politics. He was first elected as a New Democrat.

“As MLA and premier, Dennis was a tireless champion for all Yukoners,” she said.

After his retirement from politics in 2011, Fentie enjoyed spending time on his motorcycle and boat. He built a summer home and continued to be a mentor to many.

Taylor closed the celebration with a last piece of advice shared by Fentie when she was a Whitehorse MLA.

“He always encouraged us to stay out of the weeds, to get out of the office, go be with the people,” she said.

“Politics is the art of the impossible, and there is no greater example of this than the life that he led.”