Dwayne Arthur Backstrom (1938 – 2018)
Dwayne Backstrom was born in Nipiwin, Saskatchewan and raised on a farm. His father emigrated from Sweden and his mother from Ireland.1) Dwayne attended SAIT in Calgary and then trained in Ottawa for a Certificate of Proficiency in Radio. His first posting as an aeradio operator was with the Department of Transport at Snag in 1960.2)
Nellie Eikland met and married Dwayne in 1962 while she was living and working in Beaver Creek. They had two daughters, Kelli and Tara. The couple lived in many communities, volunteering on school boards, taking community club executive positions, made curling and hockey rinks, and sat on community planning boards where they lobbied the government for improvements. They assisted in planning the North Highway Winter Carnival for Beaver Creek, Burwash, Destruction Bay, and Haines Junction. When the Snag Airport closed in 1966, Dwayne's work moved him to Destruction Bay, Whitehorse, Edmonton, and back to Whitehorse.3)
Dwayne retired in 1995 from a successful career with the federal and territorial governments. He completed a course in carpentry at Yukon College in 1995 and worked for Malamute Construction between 1996 and 1999. He and Nellie retired to the South M'Clintock on Marsh Lake in 2000.4)
Nellie and Dwayne Backstrom were named Mr. and Mrs. Yukon during the 2014 Sourdough Rendezvous.5)