The final two occupants of a small plane that crashed on Gabriola Island last week have been identified as a retired couple from the Cowichan Valley.
Katheryn and Allan Boudreau of Saltair, B.C. — both 53-years-old — died when the plane they were in with pilot Alex Bahlsen crashed on the north tip of the island around 6:30 p.m. last Tuesday.
Close family friend Gwen Jahelka said she was heartbroken when her husband delivered the news to her last week.
“Both were people that if you needed something, (it was) ‘ask Allan and Katheryn.’ They were very involved in our church community,” she said.
“They were just so adventurous and so willing to take chances that they went out and did what their heart was telling them to do.”
The couple had opened the Vancouver Island Hothouse in Saltair, where they grew bell peppers and cucumbers for sale around the island, she said.
“They made a great business,” she said. “It was a great stand to stop into, and Katheryn did markets on the island and a lot of people really knew her from that.”
READ MORE: ‘Worth his weight in gold’: Pilot killed in Gabriola crash remembered for animal rescue work
Jahelka said the couple remained creative and active in their retirement, Katheryn with artistic pursuits and Allan with learning to pilot and sail.
“In his retirement, he learned how to fly and sail, and he was always willing to do something new,” she said.
“We went on vacation together and he brought his commercial pilot book to study.”
She added that the pair were immensely proud of their three children, who she said are devastated by the crash but are pulling through with the support of family and friends.
Other friends have taken to social media to remember the couple as involved in the Duncan curling community, while Katheryn was active in the local yoga community.
READ MORE: ‘A very highly skilled pilot’: Victim identified in Gabriola Island, B.C. plane crash
Officials confirmed the death toll in the crash on Friday. The Transportation Safety Board (TSB) and BC Coroners Service are both conducting independent investigations.
A Nav Canada report on Friday also confirmed that the 1982 Piper PA-60-602P was on approach to the Nanaimo airport when it “reported an equipment issue and deviated from the approach prior to dropping off radar.”
Friends have told Global News the aircraft was returning from Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, where the Boudreaus were vacationing with Bahlsen and his wife when it went down.
Bahlsen, a resident of Mill Bay, B.C., is remembered as a “pilot’s pilot” with significant flying experience, including aerobatic and helicopter piloting and who volunteered his time and aircraft for animal rescue charities.
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