After a short but spirited fight against illness, Creighton town council member Shirley Owen has died.
Owen passed away on July 4 at the age of 69. An active volunteer, Owen had made herself a pillar of the community over the past three decades.
“Anyone who knew Shirley was well aware of her dedication, commitment and love for her community. Shirley made our little town a better place to live,” read a statement issued by the Town of Creighton on July 10.
At the July 10 town council meeting, those in attendance began the meeting with a moment of silence in her memory. Flags outside the town office were lowered to half mast.
Mayor Bruce Fidler said Owen was well-liked for her work within the community.
“She was very well respected and a great asset to the community and around this table,” he said.
Owen first earned a spot on town council back in 1988, serving for three years before leaving the group in 1991.
Then, after more than two decades away from council, Owen ran for a spot in 2012 and won, serving two more terms and earning a council spot in two consecutive elections.
In addition to her work with council, Owen was active with multiple community groups in Flin Flon and Creighton, including with the Creighton Community Hall.
Despite her illness, Owen appeared at almost every town council meeting held over the past six months, rarely missing a session. Owen last appeared at council on June 12. Despite needing assistance to reach council chambers, Owen sat in and gave multiple committee reports to council.
“She knew her stuff and she was fair. She gave credit where credit was due,” said Coun. Darren Grant.
Owen’s seat on council will remain vacant for the near future. A byelection for the empty spot will be held at a later date.
“We’re going to talk about that in the next month. We’re going to let everything settle first, then we’ll look at it,” said Fidler.
“We’ll have to have a byelection, but we’ll wait for a period out of respect. We will have to, but we haven’t looked at a time or a date.”
