Elayne Hurlburt

Elayne Hurlburt

The family of Elayne Hurlburt of Haines Junction, Yukon, are saddened to announce her passing on April 22, 2026, at the age of 82. The cherished wife of Glen for almost 59 years, Elayne leaves behind sons Dev (Louise) of Whitehorse, Yukon, Derek of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and Jady (Pauly) of Burwash Landing, Yukon. A loving Mama Lainie to her grandchildren, Shelby, Cody (Bridget), Ben, and Grace, she will also be missed by sisters Leona Dreger and Judy-Lyn (Duane) Griffin and brothers Bryce (Linette) Dreger and Bruce (Lancy) Dreger. She was predeceased by her parents, Albert and Jean Dreger, and sisters Lois Dutton and Marjorie Hurlburt. Elayne will be fondly remembered by numerous nieces and nephews as well as many caring friends, community members, former students, and extended family.

Born on February 8, 1944 in Melfort, Saskatchewan, Elayne grew up in a faithful family with experiences on both the prairies and in the Burmis Lumber camp. With parents who were both ingenious and hard-working, Elayne fostered a passion for teaching and writing that enabled her to pursue education as a career, with her first writing credit being an autobiography of an old house published in the local newspaper when she was 12.

In 1963, Elayne made her choice to serve God and continued faithfully as an inspiration and encouragement to many. On May 12, 1967, Elayne married Glen Hurlburt in Medicine Hat, Alberta, where they lived for the summer before moving to Calgary to continue Education Studies. After one year of school in Calgary, they moved to various schools in Alberta for teaching positions. In February 1968, Dev was born, and in August 1971, they welcomed Derek. In August 1974, the opportunity came to move to Haines Junction “for a year or two of adventure”.  As the years turned into three and then five, they felt they had found where they were meant to be, and in June 1977, Jady was born in Whitehorse.  In 1981, they built their home on Pine Creek, where they enjoyed many years of friendship, fellowship, and family; the adventures continued. From 1985-1987, they moved to Victoria, BC, for Glen’s schooling, where they found their second home, returning often during the following years to walk in warm fall weather.

After years of being a loved and impactful teacher in Haines Junction at both the St. Elias Community School and Yukon College, Elayne spent her semi-retirement diving into her writing. She wrote and published books and newspaper articles, spending hours in her writing shed. With her friends and fellow volunteers, she put together the St. Elias Echo, a community newspaper she originally helped to create in 1977. An active member of her community, she could always be counted on to participate in literacy and music events. She loved to spend time with her family, as well as skating, walking, reading, and drinking coffee on the deck for as long as the bugs and the sun allowed.

More than all of her contributions to her family and her community, she will be remembered by her spirit, which was one that loved God above all else.

 

A funeral service will be held on Saturday, May 2nd at 11am at the St. Elias Convention Centre in Haines Junction. It will be followed by interment at the Haines Junction Cemetery and then a reception at the Convention Centre. All are welcome to attend. Please bring a photo of your favourite memory with Elayne.

The funeral can be viewed online with the following link:

https://zoom.us/j/96183648045?pwd=yzPVbGW1bDMnRDzEKVHaY9b1UXOIbz.1

Meeting ID: 961 8364 8045

Passcode: 607818

 

Special thanks to Dr. Froud and the staff at the Haines Junction Health Centre, and the team at Whitehorse General Hospital.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Elayne’s honour to your favourite literacy charity or the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.