As the fire burning above Sechelt slowly smouldered out, tree-faller John Phare was remembered by the Sunshine Coast community with deep gratitude, love and affection.
Almost 1,000 people attended Phare’s memorial service in the Gibsons arena on Saturday, July 18. The memorial was officiated by celebrant Sonia Beverley.
“I want to thank each and every one of you for taking time out, to come and hold the family up in their time of need,” said shíshálh Nation Coun. Garry Feschuk, a longtime friend of Phare. “When I look out there and I see so many people, I see that John is a very rich person, because all of his treasures are here.”
Friends, family and community members shared stories of how Phare had – in small ways and in big ways – made everyone’s lives a little brighter.
“If you were willing to learn, he would always put the effort into teaching you,” said Miles Tingley, who knew Phare from working on his crew years ago.
“No matter how many times you would screw up, he would never get excited and always give you a second chance,” Tingley said. “Or, in my case, nine or 10.”
Attendees were asked to take a stone from a large bowl when they came in. The stones were gathered from nearby beaches by Phare’s family before the service. Beverley invited everyone attending to hold the stone they had picked up while they remembered Phare.
Phare coached for a lot of kids who grew up on the Sunshine Coast. Skylar Sita said that she, and the other kids Phare had coached, were lucky to have had him as an early mentor in their lives.
“He was genuine, generous, patient, dedicated and present at every single game, practice – and even when you ran into him at the store,” Sita said. “For years, all of those small interactions were just moments in time. It was not until recent years that we have realized that those moments added up to so much more. He helped shape the women we are today, and we are eternally grateful.”
Before his death, Phare had been planning a wedding with his fiancée Kimiko Hawkes. Kimiko’s brother John Hawkes delivered a message from the Hawkes family about the impact John had had on them.
“We recognized immediately that Kimi was laughing, that she was being heard and challenged, and she was happy. It was obvious that John was a cheeky, straightforward, big-hearted man with integrity by the boatload. We were all so happy for her,” Hawkes said.
“The moment he walked into a room, my sister’s eyes would light up. She would jump out of her chair like she was being fired out of a cannon to go greet him. They would greet each other like they hadn’t seen each other in months.
“He was like spider silk. Quietly, imperceptibly holding families, work and his community together. Although we’ve lost one of our own, our family is better for having known him. We are grateful for the time that we had with this wonderful man,” Hawkes said.
Before he stepped down from the podium, Hawkes read a letter that Kimiko wrote to John after his death.
“Johnny was the love of my life, my rock. He was full of light that shone through his beautiful smiling eyes. He made me laugh and he laughed with me. Just his presence made me feel safe and the feeling when he wrapped his arms around me is indescribable, like everything was and will always be just fine,” Kimiko wrote in her letter.
“I miss him so much I feel like I’m shattered inside and the hole from his absence I will feel forever.”
John Phare was born in Davis Bay on Nov. 18, 1954. He died after he was struck by a falling tree while fighting the Old Sechelt Mine fire on July 5. He was 60 years old.
He is survived by his fiancée Kimiko Hawkes and her family, his children Miro, Alana and Chris, and his sisters and brothers, Lonnie, Ruth, Susan, Kenny, Sarah and his sister-in-law Cathy.
