Joyce Weir and Caroline Thom are taking comfort that their husbands died doing something they loved.
Michael Weir, 73, of Saltspring Island and Gerald Thom, 51, of Youbou were friends for nearly 30 years. They shared a love of flying, and together built an Avid amphibian airplane from a kit.
They were in that plane Saturday evening when it crashed shortly after take-off from Nanaimo Airport, killing both.
"Caroline was the one who always fretted because Gerald is new to flying," said Joyce Weir on Sunday.
"Michael's been flying since the late 1960s and he's a very accomplished Cessna pilot — he's as meticulous with his flying as he is with his beautiful woodwork."
Michael Weir was a carpenter and builder. "If there's ever a natural disaster, Michael's the one you want to be with because he would find you shelter, he would find you water, he would find you food and he would find you warmth. He could do it all," his wife said.
Joyce, 59, first met her husband-to-be in a Jasper classroom. He was her Grade 8 science teacher. Much later, after Michael retired from teaching to study carpentry, they met and started a relationship.
"He had a very wry sense of humour and I love how he did his best at everything. He was a bit of a perfectionist and he was such a good dad to [daughter] Elfi," said Joyce.
Joyce and Elfi were Michael's second family. He had older children who finished high school when his first marriage ended.
"I can still close my eyes and see Michael . . . holding Elfi after she was born," Joyce said. "He looked up and said 'This is the most wonderful moment of my life.' "
He stayed home and looked after the baby while Joyce returned to her teaching job.
"He was such a good dad — he taught her how to knock nails in, and he was so proud of her," she said.
Joyce said when the RCMP arrived at her door Saturday evening, it didn't even occur to her that anything could have happened to Michael.
"Honestly, it didn't cross my mind until he said 'Are you Joyce Weir?' and I said 'Yes.' And he said 'And Michael Weir is your husband?' and he very quickly said, 'I'm so sorry,' " Joyce recalled.
She asked about Gerald and was told he was dead, too. Then it hit home.
Elfi, a commercial pilot, is due to arrive home on Saltspring on Monday to help Joyce make arrangements for a memorial service.
© Copyright Times Colonist
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