Helen Harradence passed on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, her home of 76 years, of natural causes and with family at her side, aged 102.

Helen lived a life of great faith, discipline and service.

Born on August 12, 1923, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, to the future Bishop of Saskatchewan, The Right Reverend Henry D. Martin and Mrs. Kathleen Martin, Helen joined an established Canadian family.

Her father was an English immigrant from London who graduated from Wycliffe College at the University of Toronto in 1911. Her maternal grandfather was Robert Richey Wilson, an immigrant from the village of Lisbellaw, County Fermanagh, Ireland, who had become a partner in the grocery wholesaler Campbell Bros & Wilson, which was founded in 1882. Many of the company’s buildings, and the Wilson family homes, are historic landmarks in Western Canada. Her maternal grandmother was Sara Bussell, of then Halton ON. ‘Bussell House’, built in 1865, is also a historic building, located on the 9th Line in the northwest corner of Mississauga, ON.

Helen was a person of great physical and intellectual capacity.

She possessed a natural sense of self reliance, curiosity and composure. She was blessed with her father’s height (she was 5’11”), concern for others and love of nature; and doubly blessed with her mother’s shrewdness, high standards and joie de vie.

Helen was quiet, observant and gracious with everyone she encountered. She was inquisitive, thoughtful and a wonderful audience to everyone she knew well.

Helen had a grand childhood. She particularly loved figure skating at the Winter Club and summers at Lake of the Woods. She graduated secondary school in Winnipeg aged 16, the year her parents moved to Prince Albert and her father began his 20 year assignment serving the Anglican Diocese of Saskatchewan. She attended the University of Manitoba for one year, while living with her grandparents, and then attended Queens University in Kingston, Ontario.

At Queens, she led an active social life and played on the women’s varsity basketball team. She studied Sciences with the aim of becoming a Laboratory Technician, but, with the encouragement of friends and a spurring conversation with male medical students of the day – who felt a woman might qualify but would surely never survive the rigours of Medical School – she graduated in 1949 in the first Class of Medicine at Queens that had women completing the entire five year course of study.

During Medical School, Helen met her future husband, Clyne Harradence of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, on a visit home. Clyne was sent to Bishopthorpe with specific instructions from his mother Cecilia: ‘make sure the Bishop’s daughter has fun while she is here…. but not too much fun.’ Clyne was smitten on sight, recalling the moment Helen descended the stairs of Bishopthorpe as a revelation. When pressed later in life, Helen admitted that there were ‘boys at Queens who were fairly insistent, but compared to your father and his friends, they were like watching paint dry.’

They were married in Prince Albert on September 30, 1950. At a small luncheon celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary, Clyne closed a brief toast with the thought that he had spent the last 50 years ‘trying to meet the standard Helen set for them.’

Helen practiced medicine in Prince Albert until 1955.

She then raised four sons, was active in ACW of the Cathedral at St. Albans, enlisted her husband to assist the Anglican Church of Canada on a national basis, served on the Public School Board, served on the Public Housing Authority, championed the Carment Centre and supported her husband’s demanding but meaningful professional career. She patiently tolerated his adventures in business and politics. Helen and Clyne travelled extensively.

In 1954, Helen’s mother purchased a lakefront cabin, Sunset Lodge, at Waskesiu Lake in Prince Albert National Park. The cabin would be a mainstay of Helen’s life, serving as her summer headquarters until she turned 100. A small, close group of families celebrated several summer birthdays annually, held power outage parties on an ad hoc basis, enjoyed perfect weather and reveled in storms that blew down the lake as everyone’s children became adults and then grandchildren appeared.

Over the decades, Helen sailed, canoed, came to the back door when someone arrived asking for ‘Dr. Martin’, hiked, picked blueberries with Diane McClocklin, played tennis, took children to the Outdoor Theatre, led picnic outings ‘for ten men’ with Jean Murphy, cheered on triathletes, sailors, golfers or tennis players, played cards with Donna Craig and always stopped what she was doing to walk down to the beach if a sailboat was in full flight or loons were swimming by.

In 1992, Helen and Clyne purchased in the Shadow Mountain Resort in Palm Desert, California, which became Helen & Clyne’s winter home.

Helen’s iron will was hidden from most. Her motto was ‘everything in moderation’… followed closely by ‘do your very best’.

She jogged a mile every morning at the lake until her late seventies; she played tennis and had a proper daily swim in the lake into her eighties, she walked (a habit passed down from her mother) a ‘constitutional’ route at both the lake and the desert every morning and then walked the stairs of her Prince Albert home, when weather kept her inside, after turning 100. She convinced her husband to stop smoking in the late 1950s (mostly). She kept her own accounts in handwritten ledgers. She was an avid, life long reader, with a penchant for detective procedurals and historical biographies. She was a gracious formal and informal host, always able and always willing to inquire on topics of interest to her guests.

Helen led by example and kept her own counsel. She believed strongly in professional expertise, standards and duties. If she connected you to the word ‘disappointed’, which was rare and always on the merits of your behaviour, it was devastating.

Above all, Helen’s life is an example of a profound and enduring faith.

She was a lifelong Anglican and a faithful member of the St. Alban’s Cathedral congregation for over 70 years. She cheerfully contributed in any capacity, hosting the Robertas Holiday Fair turkey pie production in her kitchen, cleaning dishes in the hall kitchen after events, holding national offices and attending the General Synod.

She passionately believed in the power of forgiveness and that God held a plan and a purpose for everyone.

She was the very last of her kind and will be sorely missed.

Helen is survived by her sons David (Lisa) Harradence of Prince Albert, SK; Keith (Susan) Harradence of Toronto, ON; The Honourable Hugh (Sue) Harradence of Prince Albert, SK; and James (Michele) Harradence of Houston, TX; by her grand-daughters Celia Harradence of Saskatoon, SK and Simone Harradence of New York City, NY; by her grandsons Adam Harradence of Saskatoon, SK, William Harradence of Augsburg, Germany, Aidan Harradence of London, England and Luc Harradence of Houston, TX; by her cousin Joan Rue of Winnipeg, MB; by her nieces Kathleen Addison of Vancouver, BC and Catherine (Mr. Justice Terence Semenuk, ret’d) Harradence of Calgary, AB; and by her nephew David (Stephanie, Patrick, Alison, Jennifer ) Williams of Vancouver BC.

Helen was predeceased by her husband of 62 years, J. H. Clyne Harradence, K.C, her elder sister Margaret Williams, of Vancouver, BC, her brother in law Mr. Justice A. M. ‘Milt’ Harradence of Calgary, AB, her sister in law Catherine Harradence of Calgary, AB, her nephews Rod Harradence, and Bruce Harradence and her nephew in law Frank Addison of Vancouver, BC.

Funeral Service will be held at 2:00 PM on Friday, March 20, 2026, at St. Alban’s Anglican Cathedral, 1410 Bishop McLean Crescent, Prince Albert, SK.  In lieu of other tributes, donations in Helen’s name may be directed to  or St. Albans Endowment Fund, https://stalbanspa.org/donate-now or Rose Garden Hospice, 500 – 38^th St. West,  Prince Albert, SK S6W 0A3   rosegardenhospice.ca  Family and friends wishing to send online condolences are welcome to visit www.beaulacfuneralhome.com.  Arrangements have been entrusted to the care of Beau “Lac” Funeral Home and Crematorium, Marianne Turcotte Funeral Director, Prince Albert, SK 306-763-3322.

• Date : 2026-03-10
• Location : Prince Albert