About 150 people marked National Grief and Bereavement Day in Langley’s Derek Doubleday Arboretum on Tuesday Nov. 15, hanging ornaments in memory of loved ones, and taking part in a candlelight walk through the park in memory of loved ones.
Mirjam Scholtens and her son Kyle took part in the “walk to remember” to show support for the family of Colin VanDelft, and celebrate the memory of the much-loved former athletic director at Langleys Credo Christian School, who passed away at the age of 53.
“It will be a year this winter [since he passed],” Scholtens said.
READ ALSO: Langley’s Credo Christian school remembers Colin VanDelft
The walk through the park was led by piper Cameron Bonar from Surrey, who was there as a tribute to his late father Andrew.
“He was a great piper,” Cameron said, proudly.
Volunteers guided walkers, and lights lined the pathway and parts of the route were lit up with generators. At the beginning and end of the walk, there was hot chocolate and propane heaters to warm up.
It was jointly sponsored by the Langley Hospice and Langley Division of Family Practice, whose executive director, Ellen Peterson spoke.
“It’s such an important journey, as part of life, is that we learn to grieve together,” Peterson said, “ [that] we learn to support each other.”
Langley Hospice adult bereavement counsellor Ellen Sheridan encouraged people to remember the departed by talking about them.
“Say their name,” Sheridan recommended. “We can never forget those who gave us so much to remember.”
READ ALSO: Langley’s new hospice set to open its doors
Shannon Todd Booth, the executive director of Langley Hospice Society, called the event a “lovely way to remember loved ones.”
It was the second annual Walk to Remember in Langley, the first since the pandemic eased.
“We have noticed over the last few years, people have been grieving in isolation with the pandemic and some of the restrictions,” Todd Booth observed.
“I think beautiful things happen when we support each other and hold space for each other when there is a death of a loved one – and other circumstances,” Todd Booth remarked.
“Great things happen when people come together.”
Langley Hospice Aociety offers assistance for people coping with grief.
For more information, visit langleyhospice.ca or phone: 604-530-1115 or email: info@langleyhospice.ca.
Photos from the day can be viewed online at the Langley Advance Times Facebook page.
Have a story tip? Email: dan.ferguson@langleyadvancetimes.com
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