Molly Olivia Dunville was born on November 15, 2015 and lived in Martensville with her two older sisters Lily and Ella and their parents Kristin and Ian. Prior to Molly’s first birthday, she was diagnosed with Stage 4 Neuroblastoma.
Throughout her life, Molly underwent numerous treatments to fight the cancer but sadly, the young girl lost her battle on April 17, 2020.
During her short life Molly found much joy playing in the park across the street from her home on MacCormack Road. The park, located beside the Ranch House, became a place where Molly, along with her sisters, could go play and still be close to home. “She lived almost her whole life fighting cancer, which often led to her being tired or immunocompromised, limiting her options for play,” Molly’s father Ian Dunville noted in a request to the City of Martensville.
The request received by the City was to have Molly’s name added to a list for the naming of civic property and development areas. The family submitted the request in hopes to have the park that Molly loved so much named ‘Molly’s Park’ in honour of their daughter.
The Naming Committee reviewed the application to have the park renamed; however, felt that the request did not align with points within the policy. Discussion took place regarding Dallas Marten’s Park and Kelly’s Pond, which were both named in honour of Martensville residents that have passed away. Both of these examples were named prior to the policy being developed. Other examples included in the discussion included Andrea’s Park and the Kyle Syrenne Skatepark and both of these had fundraising committees attached to the projects.
The request then went to Martensville City Council to review at the June 2, 2020 meeting, where much discussion took place regarding the matter. Several Council members believed that although the request did not line up with the policy, this was a special circumstance where the naming request for the park seemed fitting. It was decided that the item would be brought back to the June 16th Council meeting for further discussion.
In the request submitted by Ian Dunville, he stated that, “This park was a place she (Molly) loved to go and was able to often, with her sisters. This park was home to a large amount of the joy in her life and much of the neighborhood is aware of who she was.”
The request also noted that the family would like to have a tree, or multiple trees added to the park, along with a bench and possibly a picnic table, depending on space, in Molly’s honour.
On Tuesday, June 16th, Council voted in favour of having the name Molly Dunville added to the Naming Master List. From here, Molly’s name can now be used to name parks and streets within Martensville.
Due to Molly’s passing during the COVID-19 pandemic, no funeral was held, although a celebration of life is planned for the future. Donations in Molly’s name can be made to Small But Mighty SK (https://p2p.onecause.com/smallbutmighty/kristin-dunville), Children’s Wish/Make a Wish or by donating blood in honour of Molly.
