The BC Coroners Service released the names of the three victims this morning; 59-year-old Wayne Hornquist and 52-year-old Lloyd Smith from Fernie, and 46-year-old Jason Podloski from Turner Valley, Alta.
Mayor Giuliano discussed how terrible of a week this has been for the community of Fernie. “There are no words that can adequately portray our sorrow,” she said. She remembers when Hornquist, who was born and raised in Fernie, started with the City as a young man, back in July of 1992 working with crews to take care of City parks. Soon after, he moved into a position at the arena as chief facilities operator. He was hardworking and well respected by his entire crew. He claimed to be the best Zamboni driver around, as he could finish cleaning the ice in one less lap than everyone else.When he wasn’t busy making sure everything was running smoothly, Hornquist could be seen proudly watching his daughter Stephanie, figure skate. “… Wayne was a family man,” said Giuliano.
Wayne Hornquist was a loving family man who was known for being dedicated to his job, his family and for his kindness. Hornquist was looking forward to retiring next year and spending more time enjoying family, friends and his personal pursuits. Everyone in Fernie loved Wayne and appreciated him; he will be greatly missed.
Smith grew up in High River and was a father, paramedic and pilot. He has been in Fernie for several years and has previously lived in Victoria and Canmore. Fernie’s outdoor lifestyle was attractive to Smith and he was an active outdoors person.
“We are devastated by his loss,” said Karen Smith-Myles, Lloyd Smith’s sister as she thanked the community for the outpouring of support. “Lloyd was a loving brother, a caring leader and a proud, proud father,” she said, before reading a note from Lloyd’s 13-year-old son Evan. “We would like to thank everyone for the support that we’ve received over the last few days, and offer our most sincere condolences to the other two families,” she said. The Smith family has found comfort, she said, hearing about how many lives Lloyd has touched through stories and anecdotes over the past days.
Smith is pictured above in Kimberley at the CBT conference earlier this month with famed Canadian Astronaut, Chris Hadfield.
Podloski, a Cimco employee from Turner Valley AB, also had strong ties to the Fernie community–all three men will be dearly missed.
We lost three great, dedicated, and caring people. Our thoughts and prayers go out to their families, The City of Fernie, and the all the other families and City workers affected by this tragedy.
A memorial service is being held on Sunday November 12 at 1:30 PM, read more here.
