VANCOUVER -- A Maple Ridge family is in mourning following the sudden death of a husband and father.

Gareth Reardon was cycling on a popular Pitt Meadows bike trail last week when he was hit and killed by the driver of a Ford truck.

Reardon was crossing Neaves Road where it intersects with the Trans Canada Trail in Pitt Meadows. He was 39.

Friends of the family have started an online fundraiser with a target of $75,000 for Reardon’s wife, Natalia Reardon, and their three young children.

After three days, the fundraiser has brought in nearly $40,000.

“There are no words to convey the rawness of this all. There’s immense grief and disbelief being felt amongst the Reardon family during this time,” wrote the creator of the GoFundMe campaign, Marika Witkamp.

The page links to a meal program to help organize prepared food for the family.

“Gareth was (and will continue to be) known as a deeply loved husband, father, son, brother and true friend,” wrote Witkamp.

Condolences written on the campaign page remember Reardon as a loving family man, a dedicated colleague and passionate drummer who had the effortless ability to make people laugh.