Obituary

There are people who pass through your life and people who leave a mark. Jacquie Dawson was the second kind and you knew it the moment you met her.

She grew up in Keswick, Ontario, a marina kid, daughter of Art and Irma, little sister to Doug and Jim. Jacquie’s days were full of excitement, laughs, friends, and drama from sunup to sundown. As an adult, when she ran straight into the theatre world, it fit her personality and ambitions as though it had been tailored just for her.

From Halifax to Winnipeg, from Banff to Regina, and everywhere the stage took her, Jacquie spent decades doing the work she was born to do: stage managing, producing, floor directing, and being the steady hand and sharp eye every great production needs but rarely thanks enough. She described it as being “half football coach, half air traffic controller.” The people who workedalongside her called it something else: irreplaceable.

Powell River was Jacquie’s last great chapter, and what a chapter it was. Nearly two decades at the Max Cameron Theatre, building something beautiful in a community that loved her right back. She mentored, championed, connected, and she showed up. She remembered your name, she remembered your story and Jacquie made you feel like the most important person in the room — because to her, in that moment, you were.

Jacquie was many things. She was coffee in the morning and wine in the evening. She was Zucci’s person, and Zucci was hers. She was the friend you called when you needed someone who would tell you the truth — and then make you laugh about it.
On June 16, 2026, after a courageous fight with cancer, Jacquie passed gracefully away surrounded by the love of many. She was 71 and just about to retire. It wasn’t enough time. It never would have been.

She was preceded in death by her parents Art and Irma, her brother Jim, her soulmate Wayne, and dear friend Mike.
She is lovingly remembered by her cherished dog, Zucci; her brother, Doug, and his family; and the extraordinary circle of friends whose lives she touched from coast to coast.

Jacquie and Wayne are together again now, lifting a glass, and toasting their reunion.

To Team Jacquie — you know who you are and so did she. Thank you will never be enough.

Love you later. 🧡

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Elderdog or Prowls, 2 organizations close to Jacquie’s heart.