Former Prince Albert city councillor and FSIN Chief Lawrence Joseph has passed away.
Joseph’s daughter, Trina, announced his passing on Sunday. He was 79-years-old.
“We made as many calls as we could but it’s impossible to reach everyone,” she wrote on Facebook. “After a lengthy illness, and following a beautiful afternoon surrounded by family, we lost our Dad.”
Joseph’s son, Kevin, said his father was well-known as a powerful public speaker who stood up for what was right, even when it irritated others. In private, Kevin said, his father was a gentle person who loved music and being a lay-reader at St. Alban’s Anglican Cathedral.
“The voice we knew was a gentle voice,” Kevin said. “The voice we knew was the voice that told me what unconditional love was.”
Joseph was first elected as FSIN chief in 1997 after spending more than a decade as vice-Chief. Before, that, he served as a school board trustee, and as a Prince Albert city councillor. In total, he spent 21 years in elected office at various levels of government.
Joseph worked as a federal public servant for more than 30 years, including six years at the Saskatchewan Penitentiary where he would often speak to inmates about the harm caused by drug and alcohol abuse.
The FSIN held a special ceremony in May 2022 to celebrate Joseph’s career. In an interview with the Daily Herald following the award, Joseph said he grew up in extreme poverty, and that’s what motivated him to seek public office.
“I had nothing,” Joseph said in the interview. “Never had a bike in my life. Never had a pony, never had anything. That’s how I grew up, and of course, I don’t like to see anybody struggle.”
Speaking on Monday, Kevin Joseph said his father instilled the value of community in each of his children. Kevin said his father told them it wasn’t enough to just join up, they had to contribute too.
“He said, ‘if you’re a community member, you have to find out what you have to offer, and offer it in spades,” Kevin remembered. “Right up until his dying breath, he gave back to every community he could.”
Joseph was diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a condition caused by damage to the airways or other parts of the lungs. The disease made it difficult for Joseph to keep up his hectic schedule, but Kevin said his father never stopped showing up to emcee events, although it limited his ability to sing and entertain.
Tributes poured in on social media Sunday evening as news of Joseph’s death spread. Sturgeon Lake First Nation Chief Christine Longjohn urged the First Nation to pray for the family and said Joseph’s knowledge, courage, wisdom, and sense of humour would be missed. FSIN Vice-Chief David Pratt wrote that Joseph “was instrumental in building and maintaining so many of our First Nations institutions.”
Kevin said the Joseph family shared Lawrence with the world, and were humbled to hear so many positive comments.
“Everybody from city hall to the back alleys is sending their love today,” Joseph said. “That means the world to us.”
The funeral is scheduled for Thursday at 2 p.m. at St. Alban’s Cathedral.
