Greg Younging, the publisher of Theytus Books, the oldest Indigenous publishing house in Canada, passed away on May 3. The Penticton, B.C., press where he worked as managing editor from 1990 to 2004, and again as publisher from 2015 until his death, commemorated his passing on Twitter.

“Dear Friends, We are saddened today with the news of the passing of the publisher of Theytus Books, and our dear friend, Greg Younging[. Younging] passed away this morning peacefully with his family around him at the Penticton General Hospital. Our hearts are with his family.”

Dear Friends,
We are saddened today with the news of the passing of the Publisher of Theytus Books, and our dear friend, Greg Younging passed away this morning peacefully with his family around him at the Penticton General Hospital. Our hearts are with his family. pic.twitter.com/8DWc9fRXsL

— Theytus (@theytusbooks) May 3, 2019

Younging, né Young-Ing, was a member of the Opaskwayak Cree Nation in northern Manitoba. In addition to his role with Theytus, Younging was an assistant director for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, the author of Elements of Indigenous Style: A Guide for Writing By and About Indigenous Peoples, and an instructor in the Indigenous Studies Program at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan. In 1996, he published the poetry collection The Random Flow of Blood and Flowers with Ekstasis Editions, but in recent years was a prominent editor, serving as the lead instructor of the Indigenous Editors Circle.

Last year, he was recognized for his advocacy for Indigenous editorial agency in Canadian publishing, receiving the Gray Campbell Distinguished Service Award from the Association of Book Publishers of British Columbia. A service is to be held on Tuesday in Penicton, B.C.