David Arthur Ordish

Dave’s life of ‘unbelievable’ adventure ended on January 24, 2024 after a short illness.

Dave was born on June 15, 1943 in Souris, Manitoba. He grew up in Regina, Saskatchewan, on the rough side of the tracks, and learned at an early age how to look after family, how to make a dollar go far and how to make a buck by selling Leader~Post newspapers on the street corner. He worked hard and put himself through University, becoming a Chartered Accountant in 1969.

Gifted with a keen sense of direction, Dave always knew where he was and how to get to where he was going. He was an avid traveller, having travelled around the world with his wife Connie before touching down in the Yukon in 1971. He continued to criss-cross the world with his children and his life partner, Catherine. Maui was his favorite destination.

He was blessed with his family, friends, business and community. He told everyone he met “the Yukon truly is as close to heaven as one can get in a lifetime”, although you couldn’t take Saskatchewan out of the boy or the family who are all Roughrider fans. Starting his own accounting firm in the Yukon, he became a successful and respected professional who built longstanding relationships with his clients and staff for whom he cared deeply and always did his best to support.

A conversation with Dave was complete with a memorable quote or words of wisdom. “You just gotta have fun” was part of him being such a character. He was always up for a quick comeback, a good laugh and a smiley face signoff.

Dave gave his time generously to his community with involvement in the Whitehorse Lions Club, Salvation Army, numerous Yukon and Federal business boards, Institute of Yukon Chartered Accountants, CNIB among others. He believed in making our community a better place with daily actions of kindness and respect to each other and our environment.

Most important to him was his family. He was a dedicated, loving and proud partner to Catherine, Dad / The Dude to his children Tanya (Ken), Nonni (Shaun), Matt (Melissa) and Tim (Lisa) and later to Catherine’s sons, Dan and Steve (Erika) and G Tops / GG / Pop Pop to his grandchildren Max, Maddi, Adelle, Axel, Kyan, Lucia, Leo, Jojo and Bea. He was always there for all of us and had a knack for making each one feel special and loved.

Dave was predeceased by his mother, Marjorie, which immensely saddened Dave as a youngster, his father Ronald and his brother in-law Bill Oxley.

So Dave’s journey is over, but the memories and the love for him shall be carried in our hearts forever. He wouldn’t want us to be sad but instead to smile because our time together happened! Keep smiling XXOO :-)

If one wishes to make a donation in Dave’s memory, please forward to the Whitehorse Lions Club at PO Box 31435 Whitehorse, YT Y1A 6K8, [email protected] in support of a future community project.

A memorial service will be held at the Whitehorse United Church on Saturday, March 2nd, 2024 at 1:00pm.