LeMay remembered as brother, friend

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This article was published 05/03/2021 (1530 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Family and friends of a Grunthal man who is presumed to have drowned on a Feb. 21 solo snowmobile trip in Whiteshell Provincial Park are remembering him as a free spirit who helped others whenever he got the chance.

RCMP believe Dan LeMay, 50, fell through ice on Eleanor Lake while attempting a late afternoon snowmobile journey from Pinewood Lodge to Rennie.

A two-day ground and aerial search led police to snowmobile tracks near broken ice.

LeMay’s brother, Wayne LeMay, said Dan was spending some time at a rented cabin.

“He had one of his sleds break down earlier in the day and some people helped him get it to a safe location off the trail and into town,” Wayne said. “He was simply going back to bring the sled back.”

Wayne said Dan may have misjudged the distance and was likely intending to return by nightfall with the broken sled in tow.

RCMP said they will resume the search in the spring when conditions permit a dive team to operate. HEART, the Hutterite Emergency Aquatic Response Team, based in Oak Bluff, has also offered assistance.

Wayne explained his brother’s classification as a missing person is complicating the grieving process.

“All the stuff that people normally go through with the loss of a family member is just sort of suspended for us right now,” he said.

“We haven’t even talked about arrangements at this point, and even though we know what happened to him, he’s not officially declared dead, there’s no death certificate.”

Danny, as he was affectionately known to family, was a father of three and “free spirit” who Wayne said enjoyed camping, quadding, and snowmobiling.

“He would help anyone who would ask. He was very generous. People know him as being kind and friendly.”

Dan also donated his time to Enabled Outdoors, a local non-profit that organizes backcountry trips for children living with a mental or physical disability.

Outfitter Jason Dyck, who founded the organization, said Dan began helping to round up volunteers and equipment for Enabled Outdoors events in 2019, and later accepted the offer of a board seat.

“Dan showed a real passion for helping the kids and their families and put his heart into doing whatever was necessary to help put smiles on everyone’s faces,” Dyck said in an email.

“Dan will be missed by many and it was a true honour to have Dan join the Enabled Outdoors family as a board member and friend.”

The G-Town Boggers, a Grunthal group for outdoor enthusiasts, organized a snowmobile ride in Dan’s memory last Saturday.

An online fundraiser for the LeMay family has raised more than $14,700.

“A lot of the names on there are local people. That’s been incredible,” Wayne said.