Dianne Keen was in frail health and homeless, but she liked to garden.
Last summer, Keen almost single-handedly turned a barren boulevard in the parking lot of the Safe Harbour temporary homeless shelter in Red Deer into a more colourful place with donated flowers, small lawn statuary and rocks. Other homeless clients gradually got involved with watering and tending the blooms.
Keen planned to extend the garden this summer. But struggling with addiction and health issues, she died in December at the age of 63.
This spring, her friends at Safe Harbour decided to take over her effort, creating a Dianne's Memorial Garden in the boulevard.
Staff contributed flowers, including a red rose bush in Keen's memory. Clients who knew and miss Keen painted "Rest Peacefully" and "Dianne is an angel now" on some larger stones that are interspersed with garden gnomes.
They continue to take turns with watering.
Safe Harbour staffer Marsie Tyson believes gardening is a purposeful, therapeutic and uplifting activity. "It's nice seeing the ladies tending the garden beds," she said, noting even some unexpected people are taking an interest. Tyson noticed one young man was Googling bedding plants while the garden was being planted on May 27 to see whether each needed sun or shade.
"I think this gives a sense of community," she added.
The Safe Harbour homeless shelter has no recreational programming yet, but is undergoing renovations to separate the cavernous former Cannery Row Bingo location into daytime and sleeping spaces. Tyson hopes some cards or board games can be added to the temporary shelter once renovations are completed to give the clients some more activities as they await supportive housing.
Meanwhile, the garden is something at least half a dozen clients have taken an interest in maintaining. Many were big fans of Keen.
"Dianne was a sweetheart, an angel. She had something very different about her," said Monica, who declined to give her last name. "She was a very caring person."
Keen was one of the Safe Harbour clients who volunteered to participate and share her story for the Being Human: Portraits of Homelessness exhibit that's showing until Aug. 10 at the Red Deer Museum and Art Gallery.
Tammy Comeau said she only knew Keen for a few months at the shelter, but recalls she had a bird cage that she would fill with flowers. "We got to know each other and had some talks. She was a very nice lady," said Comeau, who is pleased to help maintain Keen's memorial garden. "I've always loved gardening."
While Keen's cause of death is unknown, there have been many opioid overdoses at the shelter and no place for people to mourn those who have passed, said Tyson, who believes the garden will fulfill this larger purpose.
"It will be in loving memory of those we have lost, so they are not forgotten."
If anyone has leftover annuals, community donations will be gratefully accepted, said Tyson.