Lily Irene Dubé has died after decades of being one of the most prominent philanthropists in Saskatoon.
On Tuesday, Irene succumbed to progressively declining health at 89 years old, peacefully at home with her beloved dogs and family by her side.
“She taught me that if you want something done, you’ve got to roll up your sleeves and do it yourself,” her son David Dubé said.
As a businesswoman, philanthropist and mother of three, she has shaped much of what Saskatoon has become today.
“There are the public things that everyone knows about but there are so many private things that only the people who received their generosity,” David said.
For Irene, this meant anything from welcoming pregnant teenagers into her home to knitting thousands of afghans for hospital patients.
“She didn’t shy away from hard work; she would do anything, and that’s why the people she worked with respected her,” David said.
“She will have shown them that she was prepared to do it, so it was OK for them to do it as well.”
The Dubé name can be found across Saskatoon, including the Irene and Leslie Dubé Centre for Mental Health, the University of Saskatchewan Leslie and Irene Dubé Health Sciences Library, and the many other organizations they contributed to.
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They were both awarded an honorary doctor of laws degree by the University of Saskatchewan and the Saskatchewan Order of Merit, and were invested with the Order of Canada.
In 2013, they were awarded the Outstanding Philanthropists of the Year for North America by the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
“They felt that their role on earth was to fulfil God’s duty, and fulfil God’s wishes, and their faith led them to all their philanthropy,” Saskatoon City Hospital Foundation CEO Steve Shannon said.
“It shows what is possible and how much people can give and are willing to give,” University of Saskatchewan president Vince Bruni-Bossie said.
Irene and her late husband Les were high school sweethearts who founded multiple businesses together ahead of their extensive charity work.
Together, they leave behind one of Saskatoon’s most recognized legacies.
“I don’t think great cities happen without great folks who step up in philanthropic ways and there’s no one better than Les and Irene Dubé in terms of the legacy that they have left for our city,” Saskatoon Mayor Cynthia Block said.
Their legacy in children and family health care includes a historic donation to the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital.
“Without Les and Irene with their $6.5-million gift in 2009, I’m not sure we would have a children’s hospital for sure or not,” Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation CEO Troy Davies said.
Irene carried on the legacy until her final days after her husband of almost 70 years died in 2024.
“She also really destigmatized mental health when it was not something that people were yet talking about, and I think that will continue to be one of her greatest legacies,” Royal University Hospital Foundation CEO Jennifer Molloy said.
“She was highly compelled by her faith to hold those in need very close to her heart. She changed our hospital and our community for the better,” St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation CEO Lecina Hicke said.
With the Dubé name woven through the fabric of the city, her legacy is measured not just in dollars, but the lives she touched.
“I would say if I could be half as tough as my mom, I’d be a success. And if I could be every bit as compassionate, it would’ve been a life well lived. I know hers was,” David said.
Irene’s funeral is planned for June 19 at St. Paul’s Roman Catholic Co-Cathedral, with a reception following at the Sheraton Hotel.
The mass of Christian burial will be celebrated on Friday, June 19 at 2 p.m. at Top of the Inn.
Her family asks for donations to the Red Cross Saskatchewan or the Dube Endowed Funds at the Saskatoon Community Foundation in lieu of flowers.
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