VANCOUVER – Michael and Marlene Lunn had been married for 44 years. Marlene described him as a man who was larger than life and “the life of the party.”
Michael, 61, was one of the men killed in a shooting at the Western Forest Products Mill in Nanaimo on Wednesday morning.
Fifty-three-year-old Fred McEachern was also killed in the shooting. Two more people , Tony Sudar and Earl Kelly, were wounded.
McEachern’s family has released the following statement to the media:
“Lorraine, Paige and Tristan McEachern and their families would like to thank their friends and community for their overwhelming support during this terrible time.
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We are very humbled and grateful for the show of love and respect for Fred.
At this time we would like to ask the media to respect our privacy while we grieve our beloved Fred.”
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Former employee Kevin Douglas Addison has now been charged with two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder.
Western Forest Products mills, except for the Nanaimo sawmill, will reopen on Monday following the shooting and additional security will be in place. Workers will be compensated for the loss of wages during the closures, the company said in a statement Friday.
Marlene and daughter Marcy say the last two days have been very hard, but today was better.
“There’s been lots of laughing and lots of talking and lots of crying, but he was such a positive guy,” says Marlene. “He walked into the room and you knew he was in the room.”
In a statement read by Marcy, she says her father will be missed forever. “Mike Lunn was a happy, jolly soul who lived life to the fullest. Mike’s life was devoted to his family and friends,” she says. “He always entered and exited with a huge, warm, loving, heartfelt hug.”
Both say they do not want to dwell on the negative and want to move on, remembering Michael as a larger than life character who loved the colour red.
“There can’t be anger,” says Marcy.
The family is holding a celebration for Mike’s life on May 10 at 2 p.m. at the Generations Church.
Everyone in attendance is asked to wear red.
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