Obituary of Arleen Nora Hynd

ARLEEN NORA HYND Arleen Nora Hynd (nee Weeks), a civil servant of great distinction, a devoted mother and loyal friend, died at her home in Regina on April 17, of cancer. She was 64. Arleen was born in North Battleford, daughter of Margaret and Frank Weeks. As the daughter of an RCMP officer, she moved several times as a child, always within Saskatchewan, where she received her education, pursued her career, married her husband, Roy, and raised her three sons, Robert, Kevin and David. Although always unassuming, Arleen had much to boast about. Her brilliance was illustrated early when she began university with an entrance scholarship and continued to receive awards until she graduated from the College of Commerce at the University of Saskatchewan and was named most distinguished graduate. Her completion of the requirements for chartered accountancy was accompanied by similar status - best in the province. Arleen's career in Regina as an employee of the provincial government was no less stellar. Although she began employment after articles only in l968, by l972 she had already risen to the very top. That year she was appointed deputy minister of the Department of Consumer Affairs, the first female deputy minister in Saskatchewan's history. Her penetration of the glass ceiling was no aberration. She held other posts at that level not just with the province, but with the Department of Indian Affairs and in the private sector. Not content with the demands of such employment and the challenges of raising three active boys, Arleen served her community by holding offices at the YWCA, the United Way and the Financial Executives Institute and continued to offer her expertise, primarily to Saskatchewan's First Nations, after her retirement in 1999. In 2004, Arleen was contracted by the Wascana Centre Authority as Acting Executive Director for the "Big Dig", one of her proudest accomplishments. Arleen lived to experience the joy of grandchildren with the arrival of Ava and Keira and spent her last two years savoring the wonders of grandparenthood. She is survived by Robert and Sarah and their daughters, Kevin and his wife Sara, David, and her parents Frank and Margaret Weeks. The Memorial Service will be held on Thursday, April 23, 2009 at 1:00 p.m. at All Saints Anglican Church, 142 Massey Road, Regina with The Very Rev. Trish McCarthy officiating. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Wascana Centre Authority, 2900 Wascana Drive, Regina S4P 3S7or the Allan Blair Cancer Centre, 4101 Dewdney Avenue, Regina S4T 7T1. An online book of condolences may be signed at www.speersfuneralchapel.com L