A Tsawwassen man is being fondly remembered by family and friends following his tragic passing last week.
Darryl Schallig, age 50, died in a skiing accident at Cypress Mountain Resort in West Vancouver on Saturday (March 5).
West Vancouver Police Department confirmed that just after 10:30 a.m., officers responded to a call after reports of an injured skier. The BC Ambulance Service and Cypress Mountain ski patrol were tending to the injured skier, however he was later pronounced dead at the scene.
“Early indications are that this appears to have been as a result of a tragic accident,” said WVPD Const. Kevin Goodmurphy. “Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the deceased.”
Goodmurphy said the police department is now helping the coroner with its investigation.
Schallig leaves behind his wife Geeta, children Cole and Sophia and a community of friends and family.
Geeta told the Optimist that it is that “family” and “community” that is getting her and her children through such an emotional and devastating time.
“I have a pretty big family here in Vancouver. I have two sisters that have basically not left my side,” said Geeta. “My family and my friend groups. The community…I can’t even explain how supportive people have been, but my family right now has been getting us through this. I’ve had people drop off food and I couldn’t figure out who some of them were and then I realized it was the grandparents of a gymnast that my son trained with…I haven’t seen them in years. It just made me feel so loved and made me feel like so many loved Darryl.”
The Schalligs moved to Tsawwassen in 2002 and have been active members in the community involved in various community issues, events and family sporting endevours.
“My kids have gone to day care, school, all the sports, soccer, hockey, my son was a competitive gymnast and coached at Delta Gymnastics,” she said. “I got flowers from Delta Gymnastics…we haven’t been involved with Delta Gymnastics for a couple of years, but that has been the impact. Talking with my daughter, who is graduating in a few months, how so many people have reached out to her to say how wonderful her dad was. My son has really found solace in how people have responded to him and to support him. His friends have all come over and hugged me and gave me flowers and told me how wonderful my husband was. You just think it is normal interaction in the community, but you don’t realize how much someone impacts people – especially the young people. I’m just blown away by the young people and how compassionate and empathetic they have been. It doesn’t make it easier, but it makes me know that Darryl was such a great guy and loved by so many.”
Geeta said it has been hard to comprehend Darryl’s death as he was an avid skier who started skiing at the age of four, was a downhill racer when he was young and a competitive gymnast in Alberta.
The couple met in Victoria, she said.
“He was always athletic, so when I heard about this I couldn’t believe this could happen to him. He loved skiing and was an experienced skier,” she said. “He had just got himself a brand new pair of skis that he was pining to use. He went up the weekend prior and the conditions were wet, and he didn’t ski, so last Saturday was the first day that he put those skis on. As my kids have said the little bit of solace is that he was doing something that he loved.”
The family has a funeral service planned for March 17 and a Celebration of Life on May the 4 – in honour of Darryl’s love of Star Wars.
-with files from North Shore News
