A memorial bench was unveiled on a bike trail near the Transcona Bioreserve in Winnipeg to honour the beautiful life of Jordyn Reimer, who was taken away from her family a year ago when her car was hit by a drunk driver.
“This is a concrete bench with a big etching across the back of the bench, it’s just a better memorial. It’s just something we can do to keep her right there in our hearts.” said her father Doug.
The 24-year-old was a graduate of Transcona Collegiate and was also a member of the Griffins women’s hockey team in Alberta who were 3-time champions.
She is remembered by her loving family as a talented hockey player with an infectious laugh, but one of her older sisters Nikki said words cannot begin to fully describe the amazing person she was.
“She was always having a good time, she was loyal to her friends that she loved, she was very passionate she was the person that you would always have fun with no matter what,”
And her other sister Alex said she remembers her as incredibly kind, beautiful, fiercely loyal, and a massive piece of the family.
“I would say Jordyn was our center, she was our best friend, our everything. Each of us is feeling a loss of half of ourselves with Jordyn missing.”
The location of the bench means a lot to Jordyn’s family, as it is where she used to walk her dogs and it’s a trail that is enjoyed by many members of her family. The bench is a way of keeping her close to their hearts.
“No family wants to put up a memorial bench of their daughter but we’re doing what we can to keep Jordyn’s memory alive and her love and her kindness.” said her mother Karen. “She was such an amazing girl and we just want people to remember her forever.”
Nikki said the trail is close to where Jordyn grew up and where she spent a lot of time and it means a lot to their family and hopefully the community.
“It’s a nicer spot that we can have people visit Jordyn and you know walk past and see it and remember her forever.”