Community activist.
Born at Winnipeg on 1 July 1930 to Georgina Mildred “Dodie” Thompson (1910-1987) and Gudmunder Otto Bergman (1901-1987), both originally from Reykjavik, Iceland, she grew up in Flin Flon and in 1947 graduated from Flin Flon Collegiate (later called Hapnot High School). Her father had pioneered the opening of the Royal Bank of Canada at Flin Flon in 1929 and the family established themselves as vital members of the community.
She loved theatre and was active in the drama club. In her youth she also worked at the local pharmacy, was involved in numerous community events, and in 1951, the inaugural year of the Flin Flon Trout Festival, was crowned the Festival’s first Queen. On 16 August 1951 she married David Robert Blake (1925-2008), an employee at the bank, and a bank transfer took them to The Pas. With her husband she had five children. She loved the North and the family enjoyed summers at the family cabin at Lake Athapapaskow.
The bank job took the family to Winnipeg, Glenboro, Selkirk, Swan River, and finally Minnedosa. While at Selkirk, she worked in administration at the Selkirk General Hospital, was later employed at Minnedosa Furniture for a time, and then in 1979 opened Blake Jewellers. She was active for many years in Beta Sigma Phi International, and was in line once again to assume the position of Worthy Grand Matron of the Order of the Eastern Star. For over 20 years she was also involved with the Minnedosa Christmas Cheer Board, acting as Chair for several of them. She enjoyed travel, making trips to the United Kingdom, Europe, Iceland, three coasts of Canada, winter times in Arizona, Texas and Florida, and many summers at Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
She died at Minnedosa on 17 November 2009.
Obituary, Brandon Sun, 25 November 2009.
“Henrietta Gwyneth (Gwen) Bergman,” Bergman Family Tree, Ancestry.
This page was prepared by Lois Braun.
Page revised: 10 January 2025
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