Memories & Celebrations: Obituary

Remembering Ennis Francis Fiddler

May 26, 1947, to February 21, 2025

On February 21, 2025, in his  78th year, Ennis Fiddler died  suddenly at the Sioux Lookout  Meno Ya Win Health Centre  in Sioux Lookout. A respected  elder and member of the Sucker  clan, Ennis will be greatly  missed by his siblings Damin  and Ellen (Clovis); by his  children Brenda (Jim), Adam  (Mary Jane), Tyance (Brian),  Willow, and Jesse (Angie);  by his grandchildren Paisley  (Osborne), Keeshtin, Sophie  (Paul), Caleb, Severn, Shawn,  Mya, Needle, Avery Fiddler  (Mitch), Jared (Taylor), Jordan  Kakekamic (Ezra),Trinity,  Jordan Rae, Jayde, Avery  Calleja (Isaiah) and Tristan  (Tim); and by his great  grandchildren Ellena, Brenton,  Olivia, Ellis, June, Audrey,  Alexander, Anastasia, Niklaus,  Dimitri, Nakita, Auston,  Adelyn, Jade, Jacob, Sophia, Jesse, Mallory, Kaizin and  Violet ;and by one great-great  grandchild, Miles. 

Ennis is predeceased by his  parents, Sophie and Jerry  Fiddler, his wife, Margaret Fiddler, and his siblings Opeak,  Douglas, Martha, Sheila,  Douglas and Rhoda, all of  Sandy Lake First Nation 

Ennis was born on the land at  Favourable Lake, southwest  of Sandy Lake. He contracted  polio as a baby and so he  couldn’t walk growing up,  but with perseverance and  agonizingly hard work, he  accomplished this skill by  the age of 12. Because of  his limited mobility, Ennis’s  grandfather allowed him to  be sent to residential school  to acquire an education and  the tools necessary to raise a  family and to help his people.  So, at age 12, Ennis was  enrolled in Grade one at Cecilia  Jeffrey Residential School  in Kenora. It’s most unlikely  he spoke a word of English  at that time, but within four  years, he was attending high  school in Thunder Bay. Ennis  completed high school, received  his Teacher’s Certificate at  Lakehead University and went  on to study Fine Arts and Law  at university at various times in  his career. Like his grandfathers,  Ennis was always a keen  promoter of education and many  people have remarked since  his passing about how much  he encouraged each of them to  keep going with their studies. 

Ennis and his future wife,  Margaret, worked together  counselling northern students  in Thunder Bay in the early  1970’s and not too long after  moved into a log cabin in  Sandy Lake where they raised  their family and were active  community members, both  teaching for a time and each  one deeply involved in the  religious, musical, educational,  cultural and political life of the  community. In 1985, after four years in Saskatoon, they moved  east to Sioux Lookout for a  time, where they built another  log cabin on Hwy 72 and where  they continued their habitual  practice of community support  and involvement. Each Fiddler  log cabin, whether in Sandy or  Sioux, was the place to go for  good food, music and a 
warm  welcome. 

While he lived in Sioux  Lookout, Ennis was one of  the founding members of the  Sioux Lookout Anti-Racism  Committee, setting up and  operating its Conflict Resolution  Committee. In 1996 he was a  recipient of the People Making  Changes Award from the  Sioux Lookout Anti-Racism  Committee. He also received  external confirmation of his  many regional contributions in  2003 when he was presented  with the Queen’s Golden 
Jubilee  award.  

Ennis’s career spanned 50  years and was characterized by  innovation, an unquenchable  belief in community strength  and development, and the  importance of language  and cultural strength. His  commitment to positive  change left a lasting impact  on the people he served.  One important focus of his  career was health services. In  the 1990’s he led the Chiefs  Committee, representing 28  First Nations, in an intense  5-year process which  culminated in the signing in  1997 of an historic four-party  agreement which resulted in  the construction of Meno ya  win Health Centre. Ennis was  the Co-chair of the Hospital  Board when it received the  letter from the Minister of  Health giving the building of  the hospital the green light.  Ennis helped start the first  community-based Mental  Health Worker Program in the  region (Nodin) and remained  involved in health services  in his later years through his  role on the provincial Health  Professionals Regulatory  Advisory Council and on the  Elders’ Council and Health  Transition Committee of  SLFNHA. 

Ennis also worked in  the field of Indigenous  communications, helping to  establish the first community  radio station in Sandy Lake  which is still active today. In  the late 1970’s Ennis created,  wrote and hosted a CBC radio  program called Wingwan,  known in English as Indian  Faces, the first native-language  program aired on the CBC  in Ontario. Ennis was also a  talented painter and musician.  Many members of his family  own pieces of his woodland style works sometimes  painted on napkins or the  backs of programs or other  unique crafts he and Margaret  made together for milestone  occasions for the grandkids.  He loved music of all genres  and he and Margaret, he with  guitar, she with accordion,  were the centre of many a  “hootenanny” as he would call  them in their home. 

Ennis’s career moved into  the political realm in the  late 1990’s and through the  2000’s when he moved back  to Sandy Lake and served  first as a Councillor and then  as Chief for two consecutive  terms. He worked, often day  and night, to serve his people,  and considered 24/7 service  an integral part of the job.  He wanted everyone to have  what they needed for a good  life and he had an unflinching  commitment to resolving  problems among community  members.  

Ennis had many work  accomplishments and  successes in his life, but, at  the end of the day, it is his  beautiful personality he will  be remembered for. As his son  Adam said, “he made life fun”  which is impressive, in itself,  because his life wasn’t always  easy and certainly not always  as fun as he made it look. He  survived through humour,  gratitude and kindness so  everyone wanted to be with him, because he made one feel  so happy. He loved his family  and was proud of each member  of it. He valued compassion  and humility and was, at his  core, a peacemaker, even when  under the influence of alcohol!  He sought balance and fairness  in life and was never quick  to judge – he didn’t want  anyone to feel they had lost a  battle . You just had to have been at his 75th  birthday party, a Willie Nelson  picnic with everyone in headbands and braids and music  and laughter, to understand  that Ennis’s true legacy is  joyfulness, fun and love. 

Ennis’s family would like to  convey how grateful they all  are for the amazing support  they’ve received during this  great loss and the superb care  and kindness shown to Ennis  by so many caregivers during  these past months of increased  illness. They thank everyone  for their love. And they are  grateful to have had these last  treasured years with their dad,  shoom and gobish. 

Donations in memory of  Ennis Fiddler may be made,  with thanks, to St Joseph’s  Foundation of Thunder Bay,  63 Carrie Street, Thunder Bay,  
On, P7A4J2.