“Thank you.” It’s a simple but powerful message left by the family of Greagan Geldenhuys on a poster attached to a notice board in the Fort Campground on Echo Lake.
Greagan’s body was found Sunday morning in Echo Lake, close to where the body of his mother, Tamaine Geldenhuys, was found on August 24.
The family turned “thank you” into an acronym on the poster, saying they are truly grateful for all the help they received in the search for Greagan. This includes all of the “donated days off” and “never giving up.”
On Tuesday (Sept.4), the family released an official statement expressing their gratitude.
“Greagan’s family is heartbroken over the loss of their brother, son, grandson, nephew, cousin, and uncle. We are remembering the fearless, cheerful, friendly boy we all knew and loved. Greagan loved his family, friends, and dogs. He was so proud of his incredible garden, enjoyed building with wood and nails, loved creating with Lego, and was so excited to return to school this fall.”
We are so immensely grateful for the community who banded together in our darkest moments to find Greagan. We hope that each volunteer, donator, every single business and organization who came to our aid knows how appreciated they are. Maintaining hope while mourning the loss of Tamaine, Greagan’s mother, was made easier by each and every one of you. Thank you.
We take comfort in knowing that they have each other now, as they had through his entire life.
Over 100 volunteers, the Fort Qu’Appelle RCMP plus RCMP from Alberta and Manitoba assisted in the search.
This appreciation was echoed by Sgt. Drew Wagner with the Fort Qu’Appelle RCMP.
“It’s quite tremendous and obviously much appreciated, not only by RCMP but the family as well,” Wagner said.
“Just the sheer amount of ground and water we had to cover, the more volunteers and the more assistance we received, it just helped our efforts be bolstered that much more.”
Wagner added that police will continue to assist the Chief Coroner’s Office in the investigation. The next step is to determine Greagan’s cause of death, which is expected later this week. There are no signs of foul play in either death.
“It started off as a tragic accident that got even more tragic. That’s exactly where our investigation stands,” Wagner said.
The family believes this was a swimming accident, saying it was a windy day on the lake and Greagan and Tamaine were both avid swimmers.
The family declined an interview, asking for privacy in this difficult time.
On Sunday, Greagan’s uncle Darcy Pantel issued a statement.
“Our plea to you is to love your children, teach them to be safe. Don’t turn our sadness into fear of the water, but rather to help them understand the seriousness of water safety. Teach them to appreciate the first responders, police and fireman,” Pantel’s statement says in part.
“I can’t think of any way that anyone could have been more supportive throughout the entire process. I could not have asked for more.”
The Facebook group “Finding Greagan” has been renamed “Remembering Greagan”. Family members have been posting photos and videos of Greagan in the public group.
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