A Tragedy Beyond Words

I have let a day or two pass before attempting to put any kind of words to a tragic death on Wednesday morning at 6:30 am in the Fraser Canyon. My very good friend, Erv Doerksen, who has been a professional truck driver almost all his life, was killed on the road, doing what he loved doing. An oncoming witness described what happened. A 400 lb. rock fell off the face of the cliff and struck Erv's cab squarely. The fuel tanker truck he was operating slowed as it angled toward a shallow ditch against the cliff face. The witness stopped and ran to the truck and saw immediately that Erv was dead, killed instantly.
I cannot describe the incredible sense of loss we all feel. We went to his home Wednesday evening and Delores, his wife, was surrounded by family and friends and the tears were flowing. Having been in their home countless times, I could not help but listen for his voice and watch for his friendly face to appear miraculously to welcome all the unexpected guests. He would have loved the big crowd and would have got another pot of coffee going. There is a huge hole in my heart. I miss him incredibly already even though I just saw him on Sunday.
I will pay him tribute on this blog spot in the near future.