CACHAGEE (nee Cormier), Doreen Alice Anne

September 4, 1939 – May 14, 2026

Doreen was born in Maria, Gaspé, to Lena and Jack Cormier. She was married to William Cachagee for 62 years. Doreen was the proud mother of her three boys, Kyle (Carol), Brett (Monica), and Wade (Tanya).

Doreen is survived by her sister Shirley (Lincoln, deceased), Lorraine (John), and Robert (Betty). She is predeceased by her parents and her sisters, Georgette and Shirley 1.

Doreen cherished her grandchildren, Lauryn, Tara, Claudia, Gavin, Jaxon, Chase. She also loved her many nieces and nephews. She held a special place in her heart for the twins, Emily and Sarah Cormier.

She moved to Chapleau with her parents and sisters in 1945 from Arvida, Quebec. She finished high school in Chapleau and attended nursing school at St. Elizabeth in Sudbury with her close friends Rita Pilon, Hughette Burns, Terry Charbonneau, and Muriel Watson in 1961.

One of the highlights of her career was serving in the Congo, volunteering her time nursing in the African jungle. Her classmate Rita Pilon served in Rwanda, where they conducted all aspects of medical support for a year in 1963. Doreen worked at a maternity ward with 30 beds and a hospital with 120 beds, all without a doctor. The hospital was staffed by two male Congolese nurses, a sister, and herself. She also provided medical attention to between 250–400 patients daily for injections, medications, and dressings. She treated malaria and contracted it herself. All of the nurses became godmothers to children without parents, for which the Congolese were eternally grateful.

After Doreen and Rita finished their missions in Africa, they returned to Ontario to work at the Soo General and Lady Minto hospitals in Chapleau, only to travel extensively in Europe for six weeks before returning to nursing back home. Doreen worked at the General Hospital in Sault Ste. Marie for most of her career in the emergency room and cardiac units.

She married her high school sweetheart, William, after connecting at the Chapleau Ski Hill.

Later in life, in 2000 at the age of 61, Doreen completed her Nishnawbe-Aski Nation Northern Clinical Practice Program at Lakehead University. She did outpost nursing into her 70s, often on the fly, in First Nations communities in northeastern and northwestern Ontario. She also conducted pandemic planning in dozens of First Nations across the province, with her husband William at the wheel.

When her father-in-law Tony was in his final moments in 1979, he gave Doreen a shoebox with what he called “the Indian papers.” He said, “Take these, Doreen, and take care of our people.” From that push and some initial groundwork, she was voted in as Chapleau Cree First Nation’s first elected chief since the signing of the James Bay Treaty No. 9 in 1905. She served for 10 years through successive re-elections. The first band office was in downtown Chapleau, where she volunteered for a year organizing band members with hopes of bringing them back to Chapleau. Through decades of negotiation and campaigning with provincial and federal politicians, Doreen was responsible for creating the beautiful community known as Fox Lake, or Chapleau Cree First Nation, on the outskirts of Chapleau, which was established in 1989.

She was a strong, dedicated mother, grandmother, and wife, and spent many years teaching her three boys how to cook while encouraging and supporting their education and career pursuits. Doreen and William taught their boys to swim and downhill ski, and these pursuits were also passed down to her grandchildren.

One of her favourite pastimes was spending time at camp at Borden Lake, and she never hesitated to tell visitors how many generations her family had been on the lake. The endless meals and birthdays with family at camp were irreplaceable. Doreen was well-travelled while nursing and, more recently, while touring across the country and Europe with her husband William. She was a devoted Catholic, and in her later years, when mobility became an issue, her close friend Rita Pilon would bring communion and the church bulletin to their home at Fox Lake. Doreen spent decades volunteering on committees and boards to further support the medical and social needs of the people of Chapleau and those connected to James Bay Treaty No. 9 in northeastern Ontario. She was a pillar of the community of Chapleau and will be sadly missed by her family, friends, and colleagues. She held a special place in her heart for the Mushkegowuk Cree of the Bay. She was a dedicated trailblazer in Indigenous circles throughout the province through her unwavering commitment to promoting the people of Chapleau Cree.

The Cachagee family was grateful to spend her last several days at her bedside at the Chapleau hospital. She knew she was surrounded by her family and appreciated the dozens of visits, phone calls, texts and FaceTime chats.

The family would like to extend their sincere appreciation to the staff at Chapleau Health Services for their kindness and compassion. Special mention goes out to Drs. Steven and Kendra Saari and Dr. Doris Mitchell for their care over many, many years. Most of all, Doreen will miss the presence of the daughter they didn’t have, Terri McCauley, for her years of steady support and devotion in their home at Fox Lake. Terri became very close friends with Doreen and William. Lastly, the recent medical care from the band nurses, Barb Cormier, a longtime friend of Doreen, and Pamela Drynan, was unwavering in their every effort to advocate for Doreen and has not gone unnoticed by the Cachagee family.

Meegwetch to all.

A Celebration of Doreen’s life will be held at a later date. Cremation has taken place at River’s Edge Cremation Centre, Sault Ste. Marie.

Arrangements entrusted to Kerry Funeral Home, Wawa.