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Memorable Manitobans: Alfred James “Alf” Kirkness (1902-1980)
Community activist.
Born at Island Lake in 1902, son of James Kirkness and Ellen Munro, his mother died when he was very young and he was sent to live at the Brandon Industrial School. He stayed there until around 1927-1928 when he took a maintenance job at the File Hills (Saskatchewan) Hospital. He returned to Brandon in 1929 and spent the next 38 years doing maintenance at the Brandon Experimental Farm. During this time, he advocated with federal officials to recognize children buried in the informal cemeteries associated with the residential schools. He retired in 1967. On 2 June 1932, he married Lillian Esther “Lily” Deyell (1894-1977) and they had at least one daughter. In 1979, he moved to Port Orchard, Washington to live with his daughter. He died at Bremerton, Washington on 29 January 1980 and was buried in the Brandon Cemetery.
See also:
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Brandon Old Indian Residential School Cemetery (Brandon)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Brandon Indian Residential School Cemetery (RM of Cornwallis)
A Cup of Cold Water: Alfred Kirkness and the Brandon Residential School Cemeteries by Anne Lindsay, Clare Cook, and David Cuthbert
Manitoba History, Number 78, Summer 2015
Sources:
Marriage registration, Manitoba Vital Statistics.
This page was prepared by Anne Lindsay and Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 7 July 2021
Memorable Manitobans
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