Maynard H. Dokken married Aileen Connelly and had six children.

Aurora Dawne; Maynard Lien (Maynard Jr.); Dennis Lien; Allanna Jo; Aarrynne Denise; & Nammarra Neelia

From a farm boy to a Prosecutor, QC, President of Bar and working with World Political and Business Leaders for solutions to their problems. He was always giving throughout his life.

The origins of the Dokken family were in the US 1861. Helge Olesen Otterdokken migrated from Gol, Halingdal, Norway with his brother. They both joined the Union Army and fought in the Civil War.

Helge’s brother was killed in battle at Gettsburg. Helge was wounded and granted a veteran’s land grant in Freeborn County Minnesota. Maynard H. Dokken's Great Grandfather. Otterdokken and Dokken were used interchangeably.

A voracious reader. Would read a novel in a day using his spare time. Preferred detective novels and history. A speed reader which served his intellectual appetite to gather massive amounts of knowledge quickly.

He would comment "ink on wood (books) part of being a lawyer."

Although it was a great accomplishment he used it for the benefit of others. He was always saying it was more an acknowledgment of his work than of status.

His wife and their mother along with the oldest daughter worked to have all the children learn piano and many other instruments. They all took lessons for the Conservatory of Music and several family members won provincial and national awards.

One of his most cherished business and personal relationships was through a Jewish family, the Vickars. He was so proud of being able to work with them and honored when they asked the family to perform for the congregation at the local Synagogue.

What was little known were the international clients that called upon his help for political as well as commercial reasons. He helped world and business leader including in the old USSR, Korea, America and many other countries. He did it for interest more than remuneration, passion.

In his Senior Years he decided to move to a simple and convenient location for walking and normal activities like going for coffee and groceries which he did until his final year. He was loved by all that met and had the opportunity to be in his presence.

His laugh was enormous and went on forever. It carried across the room and sometimes further, bringing smiles even to those who did not know the tall, mighty looking man sitting next to his petite wife who gazed at him adoringly, in admiration and amusement. He was surrounded by his brood of six laughing children- sometimes embarrassingly all dressed in the same outfit to make sure no one was lost on a family trip.

He was the dad who could be phoned at any time of the night to pick us up from anywhere, with all of our friends, and drive everyone home. “Thank you Mr. Dokken” they would say, and he would reply with a smile “well, you’re welcome!” as though he had not been woken in the middle of the night before trying a big case the next morning. Nothing was more important than his family and he always made us feel his unconditional love.

His Saturday chili con carne was famous with the many friends who filled our happy home, as were the waffles that he made in his waffle iron by the dozens for those who were still hanging around the next day.

Having been raised on a farm in Saskatchewan, our father enjoyed the simple life, yet he made sure our mother had a life of beauty. Despite his career success as a Queen’s Counsel and President of the Saskatchewan Bar Association, dad remained humble. He enjoyed chatting with anyone and everyone and saw what was good and interesting in each person, without judgement.

It could not have been easy for him to lose his own father when he was only a young child, yet he honoured his memory and that of his mother, by living a good life. He read the only set of books they owned, the encyclopedic Books of Knowledge, in their entirety, from cover to cover, by the age of eleven and his lifelong love of knowledge never stopped.

He met our mom Aileen on a hayride in 1947, after which mom went home and wrote in her diary “Today I met the man I’m going to marry! His name is Maynard Dokken.” And so they did, in 1955, before moving to Melfort to build their life. They made many lifelong friendships there. Together they would open six law offices across the province while dad simultaneously and passionately served as Crown appointed counsel for the Indigenous communities of Northern Saskatchewan.

Thank you Dad. Thank you for giving us the most wonderful life. Thank you for showing us what it means to have a respectful, loving, fun-filled life partnership, as you had with mom. Thank you for your unwavering love and for letting us know that the most important thing in life is to be true to your beliefs, to love and to be kind. You have many, many friends who will miss you beyond words, along with your children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and all those to follow. You and mom will live on through all of us.

Mom loved to sing while you played the piano, her beautiful soprano voice so clear and lilting. At times you would join in with your gorgeous baritone voice. And then the two of you would dance. And now you are dancing together again and we hope mom is singing one of her favourite songs with you:

Lilacs in bloom, fragrant perfume Shows me the waiting has ended Springtime is here, soon you’ll be near When all our heartaches are mended Close in my arms, fond embraces Once more in happiest places Jeanine, I dream of lilac time Your eyes, they beam in lilac time For you and I, our love can never die Jeanine, I dream of lilac time.