Dayle Bowman

It is with great sadness and heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Dayle Bowman on December 4th, 2020, at the age of 77, due to complications from COVID. Dayle was known for her compassion, her dedication to helping others, and her love for her family, which knew no bounds. She will be dearly missed and will remain in our hearts forever.

Dayle was born in Prince Albert, SK, in 1943. She grew up in Saskatoon with her two sisters, where she later graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with a B.A. (Sci) and B.Ed. and raised her beloved daughters Patti and Ali.

Dayle demonstrated her life-long commitment to education through her teaching, as a member of the Saskatoon Public School Board (1974-1994), with her involvement with the Open School in Saskatoon, as a classroom volunteer in Indian Head, in her work with Agriculture in the Classroom, and by inspiring a love of learning in her daughters, her grandchildren and so many others whose lives she touched.

Dayle was passionate about people, her community, politics, and social justice. She used her talents to help others and advance causes close to her heart. Her involvement with the Saskatoon Status of Women Committee, provincial Day Care Advisory Committee, Saskatoon Council of Women, and YWCA Board led to improvements in the lives of women and children, the introduction of government-regulated day care programs in Saskatchewan, and many life-long friendships.

Dayle married Jim Halford in 1995 and moved to Indian Head, where the city girl soon came to love farm life - including having her own Saskatoon berry patch! She was supportive of all that Jim was involved in and, being the Dayle we knew and loved, it wasn’t long before she was applying her energy, leadership and organisational skills to a wide range of local groups and fundraising projects, including the Indian Head and District Hospital Foundation, the Indian Head Toastmasters club, the Bell Barn Society and the Calling Lakes Choir. She immersed herself in the community, always had a sewing project on the go, won prizes for her quilts at the local agricultural fair, and forged lasting friendships everywhere she went.

Family connections meant the world to Dayle. She adored her daughters and grandchildren and celebrated their every achievement. She and her sisters, Mary and Adele, were devoted to each other and they worked hard to maintain a close connection not only between themselves but also between their children. Together they built enduring memories through family holidays, late night conversations, playing cards, discussing politics, cheering for their beloved Saskatchewan Roughriders, and many wonderful Bowman Christmases. Dayle used her wonderful sense of creativity, and passion for documenting life’s events in photos, to create beautiful memory books that we will always cherish. She was our family historian, the meticulous ‘organizer’ of our lives, and the glue that held us together.

Dayle is survived by her beloved husband Jim, her daughters Patti (Jim) and Ali (Terence) Norman, step-sons Grant (Jocelyne) and Chris (Jackie) Halford, step-daughter Beth Halford and six treasured grandchildren: Henry, Lucy, Quin, Shaun, Julien and Zach. She is also survived by her sisters Adele Martin and Mary Grant, nieces and nephews Blair, Adrienne, Lindsey and David (and their partners and children), step-mother Margie Bowman (and her children Alan and Susanne), Ken Norman (father to Patti and Ali), extended family members, and countless devoted friends.

We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to the Medical ICU team at the Regina General Hospital for their care and dedication during this incredibly difficult time. A special thank you also goes out to Nicolette, who was the RN with Dayle the evening she passed. Nicolette’s compassion, reassurance and support to us was deeply meaningful.

Family and friends are invited to attend a Celebration of Dayle’s life on Saturday, July 2, 2022, at 2:00 p.m. in the Memorial Hall, 423 Grand Ave, Indian Head, SK. This will be followed by a lunch and time to visit. Out of respect for Dayle, the family requests that masks be worn during the memorial. For those that are not able to attend the service, we are offering the opportunity to join us virtually with the link that is posted below.

In lieu of flowers, donations in the memory of Dayle would be gratefully received by either Saskatchewan Agriculture in the Classroom (www.aitc.sk.ca) or the Indian Head and District Hospital Foundation (PO Box 1547, Indian Head, SK, S0G2K0).