April 20, 1971 - February 2, 2021
Heather Gordon passed away quietly at her home in Whitehorse, on February 2, 2021. She will be terribly missed by her father Dave, brother Bryan and aunt Trish. Heather will also be missed by the many, many friends she made over the years in her many walks of life.
Heather was born in Ottawa and grew up on military bases across Canada, the US and Germany. As a student one summer, Heather decided to join the Royal Canadian Navy (Primary Reserve) at HMCS Queen.
For 12 years Heather worked aboard ships cooking from one ocean to another. One of her most significant Navy experiences was as a member of the commissioning crew on the new HMCS Edmonton. Along with taking the ship from Halifax to Esquimalt, she had a hand in coming up with a name for the ship's Junior Ranks Mess.
She called the Edmonton relatives looking for the name of a local watering-hole that would be suitable for the HMCS Edmonton.
After 12 years at sea, Heather took her release and attended Northern College in Haileybury, ON where she graduated as a Registered Veterinary Technician. Shortly after that, a job in Whitehorse was posted and she was off to the Yukon.
Heather loved the North. For years she lived in a cabin (a real cabin - no running water) at Carcross Cutoff. A few years ago, she decided to upgrade and moved into a house (with running water) on an acreage at Ravens Ridge.
There she lived with an ever-fluctuating number of cats and dogs, both permanent residents and fosters. Heather's passion was caring for animals and with this passion she found her family at Alpine and All Paws Veterinary Clinics, where she worked.
We'd like to extend a special thank you to The Humane Society Yukon-Mae Bachur Shelter for caring for Heather's loving pets and where she also volunteered, sharing her love of animals.
Our family is particularly grateful to Heather's many Yukon friends for their love, caring and great support during this very challenging time.
A Zoom memorial service for Heather is planned for after Easter.