Steven Michael Donoghue Memorial Award

Steve Donoghue was born May 5, 1959 in London, England, before his mother, Patricia, and father, Michael, immigrated to Canada. He grew up with his two younger sisters, Michelle and Rachel, in Rexdale, Ontario, Canada.

Steve was a man who loved the world around him and who loved his family above all things. He was a hunter and fisherman with a deep respect for the land and every creature that occupied it. He had a curious spirit and was always willing to learn and to discover new things and new places. He had been an avid adventurer since his youth, which began with hunting and fishing trips with his father. Steve had dreams of exploring Canada, and at one point, he took many different trips across the country, spending weeks, if not months at a time, out in the wilderness, doing his best to live off the land. Steve obtained his bush pilot licence so he could show others the beauty in our lands and rivers. But Steve put his family above all, and when they needed him, Steve put these dreams aside.

One of his dreams was to visit the Yukon. He talked about it constantly, sharing it with his sisters and mother, and even his nieces and nephew. He wanted to go and explore the place that had been described in so many of his favourite books and stories, and to experience the beauties of nature he had only seen on television. It was always his plan: to get there someday. Steve passed in July 2023 without this dream being realized. He had spent the last several years helping to rebuild his family cottage with his sister, Michelle, and his nieces and nephew, and they know he would never consider it time wasted. Yet still, it is hard not to reflect on all Steve sacrificed to support his family. He was a man who knew how to love, and how to do it well. He was our son, brother and uncle.

Steve’s sister, Rachel, therefore, wants to help Steve fulfill his dream. Through the Steve Donoghue Memorial Award, she hopes to bring her brother to the Yukon as he always wanted and allow his memory to help care for the natural world he so admired and dreamed of. The award is given in his name to YukonU students enrolled in the Northern Environmental and Conservation Sciences program. Rachel, and the rest of Steve’s family and many friends, hope his legacy may ensure that this Earth and its creatures are both respected and protected for generations to come.

A tribute to Steve by Nicole Donoghue-Stanford-Ross