WATCH ABOVE: Young couple Kamber Lindenbach and Wayne Stertz died last week while boating on Lake McGregor. As Tracy Nagai reports, fundraising efforts are now underway to honour their memory.
CALGARY – This week would have marked the wedding day for Kamber Lindenbach and Wayne Stertz.
Instead, the family of the young Calgary couple are preparing for their funeral.
They died last week while boating on McGregor Lake.
Fundraising efforts are now underway, to honour their memory.
Flowers and pictures filled the wall where Kamber Lindenbach worked. It’s a memorial for the couple whose lives were cut short.
“She was so loved by him, their relationship was so incredibly strong together, that you know you’re envious of it,” said Aaron Wiebe, Lindenbach’s friend.
Last week the body of Lindenbach’s, who was in her 30s, was found on the shoreline at McGregor Lake, south of Calgary.
The couple had been out that day on a boat with their dogs.
The RCMP were called when people noticed the boat was floating around aimlessly with no one in it.
Initially the search was called off for 37-year-old Wayne Stertz but his employer got involved and days later his colleagues managed to recover his body.
“They funded the entire search. So they flew guys out, flew buddies out and they all got in boats and went out Tuesday and Wednesday and ended up finding him Wednesday afternoon,” Wiebe said.
RCMP said the man’s body was located around 3 p.m. near the area where rescue crews found his boat.
It’s still unclear what happened that day.
RCMP said the pair set out on McGregor Lake near Vulcan last Sunday. Their speedboat was later spotted adrift with several dogs on board.
The couple’s personal items were still aboard.
McGregor Lake is located about 150 kilometres southeast of Calgary.
“Everybody is still crying, everybody is still sobbing, it’s just such a crazy thing that happened and nobody can understand it or wrap their head around it,’ said Wiebe.
Now family and friends are planning a funeral on what was supposed to be their wedding day.
The tragedy has sparked an overwhelming response from Calgarians and fundraising efforts are underway for a public memorial and a way to honour the couple’s life. A bench will be put in at Sue Higgens off-leash dog park.
“Her and Wayne were big dog people, like big dog people so we thought it was important to get something there where she liked to take her dogs to remember them both by,” Wiebe said.
It’s a way to reflect on the young couple’s life together.
Comments