Gift of closure

My gratitude cannot be expressed enough for that Earth-angel jogger who found my husband floating in Schwatka Lake the other evening.

I can only imagine what feelings went through this person’s mind as I heard the news.

I’ve probably never met you, so I just want to say thanks a million and bless your dear heart.

For me, it is a relief and yet the saddest time in this whole six-and-a-half-month experience of not knowing where my husband was. Finally we can put him to rest and have the gift of closure.

I have been very fortunate to share this experience this time around with my brother-in-law Donald Gillmor.

He came all the way from Toronto to see if he could search for his brother on the river.

I know that our family can’t be thankful enough for all the support and help we received throughout this horrific ordeal.

The coroner, Sharon Hanley, is a very special soul and I am glad to have met her even in these circumstances.

The RCMP have done a thorough job in the search and rescue for my husband and those pilots who went up, time and time again to see what they could see, need to be thanked too.

These are our compassionate humanitarians and we can’t ever take them for granted.

Also, the volunteers who do search and rescue, who put their lives on the line to assist, need to be thanked as well. I met a few way back in December.

I want to take this time to thank a very special woman in this town who has the biggest heart I have ever known: Adeline MacDonald.

I am proud to say she is my friend and has been David’s friend for 20 years. She’s like a mom to me as she is to others.

There are people who I don’t even know who have helped, such as those hiking along and canoeing along the Yukon River, not to mention the folks who have been praying for us all.

David always did things in his own time and in style, and I must say, he couldn’t have picked a better time to come home to us all.

Now we can celebrate his life and know that he is at peace because this river always gave him that peace he needed when he didn’t have peace in his life.

My own life has been changed forever as a result of this experience and I have been made richer for having gone through it.

The gift from David came within this experience.

Now the real work begins at rebuilding my life without the physical presence of David, yet, it’s easy to know he is with me here always in spirit as he has finally arrived home to us all.

There is no set date for the celebration for life yet. I will let you all know when that will be after I sort through the stuff that has to be done first.

I want to thank Chris at Heritage Funeral Home for his kindness and compassion towards this experience as well.

He makes life truly a celebration for us all because he cares and that’s felt by us who are grieving our loss of a loved one.

This community is now grieving the loss of a talented musician and a great friend and wonderful husband and brother and father and son.

The bright light of David will always be with us wherever we are because he has always been larger than life itself.

I know, personally, that I have a divine purpose to honour his spirit each step I take on this journey

Katherine Mary Gillmor

Whitehorse

Grateful traveller

I wish to thank Geraldine Kotchea and her staff at the Liard Hot Springs Lodge for their kindness in returning my purse to me at Contact Lodge.

I had left it on my car when I left the lodge. They saved me a three-hour drive.

A stop at the lodge will be on our agenda on future highway — not only for their kindness in returning my purse — but the food in restaurant was very good as well.

Velma Hall

Whitehorse