Deb died peacefully at home surrounded by family and friends. She met death with joyous expectation and peace. At age 68 she had been living with breast cancer for the past almost 8 years.
Deb was born April 8, 1954, in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan and grew up both there and in Sarnia, Ontario. Deb’s career was rich with wonderful experiences starting with her nursing education in Stratford Ontario. She then went on to study midwifery in Edinburgh, Scotland hoping to come back to Canada to work toward getting the profession of midwifery recognized here in Canada and BC. Deb worked in both Vancouver and finally in Victoria.
Deb was a highly respected Registered Nurse and then Registered Midwife. She was the co-founder of the Midwifery Demonstration Project at BC Women’s Hospital, culminating in the regulation of Midwifery in BC and a Clinical Assistant Professor with the UBC Faculty of Medicine. Deb began her midwifery practice in Victoria in 1998. Deb has mentored nurses and midwives into Midwifery with profound wisdom, respect, and humour.
She is greatly loved by her family and a multitude of friends throughout the world. She will be deeply missed by those who were so fortunate to know her. She wanted it said that: “I died; not just passing on and not saying goodbye; rather to say that I will see you all down the road later when we can all be together again.”
Deb has many fabulous friends and relatives but most importantly she is survived by her husband Jim Havens, her son Jamie and his wife Alex and two adorable grand rascals Jack (7) and Oliver (5). Deb loved you all so much and wished she could have reached out to many of you personally.
Condolences may be offered to family below.
McCall Gardens
www.mccallgardens.com
Trevere M LeFeuvre
Dear Friend Jim, my sincere condolences on the passing of your loving wife Deb, may she rest in peace .
Trev
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Deborah May Little April 8 1954 September 22 2022..
mccall gardens funeral and cremation service
Death notice for the town of: Victoria, Province: Colombie britanique
Dear family and friends of Deb Little: I had the pleasure of working with Deb at BC Women’s Hospital in the midwifery pre-legalization days. As midwives were not yet regulated, hospital regs required that a licensed physician attend midwifery clinics and midwifery births. It was my good fortune to put together a backup group of family docs. I loved working with Deb. She and her midwife colleagues were so competent that I just supported them and got out of their way. In fact, I was able to use some of the assigned midwifery support time to establish the first Family Practice Maternity Service, for family docs that did not attend births. Working with Deb was such a gift. Interdisciplinary collaboration was what it was about. When midwifery was regulated, based on our positive relationships, midwifery chose to be a Division of the UBC Dept of Family Practice–a relationship that continues to the present. Deb was the perfect person to champion this much needed development. It was always not what the professionals needed but what the women needed. Deb’s legacy is huge, now with a quarter of births in BC attended by midwives, the largest proportion in Canada by far. The women of BC were so fortunate to have Deb in a key leadership role at a delicate time.