Family and friends gathered Saturday to remember Fred McEachern and Michael Lunn who were killed in a shooting at their workplace, Western Forest Products sawmill.
Hundreds wearing red shirts gathered at the Generations Church in Nanaimo, B.C. to pay their respects to Lunn in his favourite colour. While some friends were tearful speaking about Lunn, there was also a lightness in the church.
“Look at all the red shirts out there,” said one family friend speaking at the memorial. “You'd think we were at a Calgary Flames game but they don't have as many fans.”
Marlene Lunn said her husband left many fun and positive memories with his friends and family.
“He was bigger than life and he’s going out bigger than life,” she said. “We just totally totally, totally will miss him. He’s a huge void in our lives. But we’re going on.”
Lynn Jacques, a family friend of Lunn said he was “a great performer” who loved to dance.
“Michael had a very theatrical nature,” she said. “He was Santa Claus to several generations of children ... people would get their children to phone him on Christmas Eve and he’d [say] “Ho, ho ho.”
Nearby, there was a private ceremony for Fred McEachern. Trevor Flatman, McEachern’s childhood friend, spoke on behalf of the family and said he never anticipated a situation like this.
“We always think down the road when we’re older we’ll be doing this one day, but I never in my wildest dreams thought I'd be going to pay my respects to one of my buddies,” Flatman said.
McEachern was a father of two and remembered for his compassion and humour. Flatman said his friend would have wanted his memorial to be a celebration of life, infused with laughs.
“He'd crack everybody up,” Flatman said. “He was a really funny guy. Very kind and well-spoken and had fantastic jokes. Just a really warm, kind, caring guy.”
Many people attended both services in Nanaimo to pay tribute to the lives of the two men.
Kevin Addison, 47, was charged with two counts of first degree murder and two counts of attempted murder after opening fire at his former workplace.
With a report from CTV Vancouver's St. John Alexander
