Deidre Currie - A Love Story
World traveler, teacher, gourmet cook, nutritionist, environmentalist, athlete, outdoor adventurer, green building designer, marathon runner, dear friend, beloved wife, daughter, sister……..mother, Deidre (Dee) Currie packed more into her 38 years of life then most people who live to be ninety.
Born and raised in New Zealand after graduating with a degree in teaching, Dee spent four years in London England and a short stint in Wellington New Zealand before finally settling in Sydney Australia. In 2002 she embarked on a nutrition journey that eventually led to her joining the Weston A Price Foundation as a Sydney chapter leader. In November 2005 Dee came to the US with fellow Aussie chapter leaders to attend the National Wise Traditions Conference in Washington DC. It was also my first trip to the national conference. During an informal dinner party on the last night of the conference, Dee and I bumped into each other and struck up a conversation. We fell for each other completely and wanted to continue to see each other after the conference. Living on opposite ends of the world however posed an obstacle. Dee and I remained in contact via email sometimes emailing two and three times a day learning everything about each other’s lives hopes and dreams.
Several weeks into our emails Dee invited me to be her date for a boat ride on Sydney Harbor for the spectacular New Years Eve fireworks. Though I had never ventured out of the US or Canada or even possessed a passport, the adventure and the prospects of seeing Dee again were too exciting to pass up. And so began the world’s record for the longest distance traveled for a date, or so it seemed. Our date ended up lasting four magical weeks in the land down under. We knew we were meant for each other the first time we met, our time together in Sydney confirmed that notion.
Even before Dee landed in Michigan to visit me in May of 2006 we were already making plans to get married. Since Dee was traveling to see me on the northern half of the hemisphere we decided to continue traveling and enjoy a pre-wedding honeymoon. After stops in New York City and London to see friends, we traveled to Paris and then drove through most of Italy seeing the sites, eating at cafes, checking out the local farmers markets, hiking in the mountains and immersing ourselves in the local culture.
We followed up the honeymoon with our wedding at a vineyard in Queenstown New Zealand on February 24th, 2007. Dee was stunning in her wedding gown with the awe inspiring mountains as the perfect back drop to our outdoor ceremony. Dee’s mum escorted her down the aisle, we exchanged vows in front of family and friends and I kissed my beautiful bride. The wedding dinner was an event unto itself. With her keen attention to detail and flare for the gourmet, Dee sourced all of the food for the wedding dinner from local organic farmers, the wines from local vineyards, raw milk and cream from a couple that ran a local organic dairy farm and the fish right from the docks. Guests who attended the wedding still talk about the fabulous dinner. Our wedding was truly the happiest day of our lives.
After the wedding it was decided we would settle in Michigan where Dee began working with local farmers, putting on a health conference, getting her degree in nutrition, implementing an all sustainable farmers market and becoming a local Weston A Price chapter leader here in the states. She started plans for a health conference in May of 2007 and by June we became aware that she was pregnant with our first child. We were ecstatic.
The inaugural Wise Traditions Michigan Conference was held on September 28th and 29th in Livonia Michigan and was highlighted by some of the best speakers in the field of nutrition and health. The conference also featured a gourmet lunch (naturally) and a sneak preview of the sustainable farmers market that we planned to create at the end of 2008. Once the conference was completed we turned our focus toward the birth our first child, excited at the prospects of a home birth.
Fate however had other plans for us. Dee was rushed to the hospital on January 8th of this year with a pulmonary embolism. The baby was in distress as Dee went downhill quickly. Though her body was failing she willed herself to hang on until the baby could be born and passed away shortly after his birth. Jack Dee Currie-Welch was born six weeks premature but thanks to Dee’s heroic effort to ensure a safe delivery and all of the nutritious foods she consumed during her pregnancy, he came into this world as healthy as a full term baby. Sadly Dee was not able to see her son or to hold him. Nor did I get a chance to say good bye to her. The loss has been devastating to me and to Dee’s family and friends.
Dee’s parents came to Michigan where we held a service for her before taking her home to Dunedin New Zealand to be buried in her home town. I have returned to Michigan with the intent of moving to Dunedin by this time next year to raise Jack in the same town that his mum grew up. Before I leave for New Zealand it is my goal to put on a conference in Dee’s name as a follow up to her Wise Traditions Michigan Conference. Rather than a conference, the Deidre Currie Festival will celebrate Dee’s life, her passion for food, family, friends and her accomplishments. Four of the top holistic nutrition experts will be on hand to present –
Sally Fallon, Natasha Campbell-McBride, Jerry Brunetti and Karen Lubbers
Also included in the festival will be a sustainable Gourmet Farmers Market just as Dee had envisioned, a Children’s Health Center and other weekend activities. Please join us on September 13th, 2008 in Ann Arbor Michigan for what is shaping up to be a very special day for Dee’s family and me and for those who attend.
I am deeply touched by the speakers, the farmers and food artisans, committee members, volunteers, and the sponsors that have committed their time and efforts for this wonderful event.
Sincerely, Dee’s loving husband,
Archie Welch
