November 23, 1954 - October 6, 2023
On October 6, 2023, Monina Wittfoth, following two years resisting cancer, did what she was known for: she took charge. She departed this world with medical assistance after saying goodbye to family and friends.
Monina was born November 23, 1954, to Margaret (née Holloway) and Hans Wittfoth, originally of, respectively, Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Bremen, Germany. Monina spent her childhood in Kenora, Ontario and then Toronto, before moving north at the age of 18 and discovering her true hometown, Dawson City.
Monina had a talent for bringing people together and inspiring folks to get involved in the community she called home for nearly 50 years. Her legacy is the lasting friendships and connections her kindness helped forge. She was famous for her gatherings, where food, drink, and stimulating conversation were all in good supply. Monina earned a reputation for giving "the wayward" a home, but welcomed all with an open mind and heart. Her authentic, caring welcome was the foundation on which many Yukon lives were launched.
Monina loved music as well as hosting a good party. She co-founded the Dawson City Music Festival in 1979. For years, armies of volunteers ate and slept at her house every July. A small gathering on picnic blankets would ultimately grow and transform into a legend among Canadian independent music festivals.
Over her professional career, Monina worked for the Dawson Indian Band under Chief Peggy Kormendy, Klondike Outreach, Parks Canada, the Dawson Mining Recorder's Office, and the Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in government. She was an advocate for First Nation self-government and fought for the implementation of the Umbrella Final Agreement. She saw her work as genuine reconciliation and an important part of redefining the Yukon.
Monina did leave Dawson periodically to pursue her education, culminating in a Ph.D. in Rhetoric from the University of British Columbia in 2006.
Monina was an avid gardener and her house, garden, greenhouses and yard were a great source of satisfaction and pride.
Monina's family recently expanded to include two standard poodles, Phaedrus and Meno, with whom Monina loved walking along the Yukon River and trails around town.
Monina is survived by her two sisters, Claire Avison and Lenore Morris, her brother, Armin Wittfoth, nieces Andraya and Kirsten Avison and nephews Sterling and Jordan Laudon, as well as by the many close friends who became her chosen family.
Thanks are owed to the staff at the Dawson City Medical Clinic and Yukon Spa for their care during Monina's final months.
Monina will be buried at the City of Dawson cemetery. A celebration of life will be held in 2024.