Maclean’s They Were Loved Obituaries

In January 2021, I joined Maclean’s Magazine for a month long internship. I was assigned a number of names and families, and I wrote obituaries for several of the Canadians who were lost to COVID-19. Here are two of the obituaries. Thank you to Cindy Behrmann and Liese Coroy.

Vic Coroy

Built a safe haven for veterans

Vic Coroy always knew that he wanted his service to Canada to extend past the Canadian Armed Forces. “He was a Canadian soldier from the time he enlisted until the time he passed,” says his daughter Liese Coroy. After graduating high school at 16, he started his career at the Royal Military College in St. Jean, Quebec, and went on to hold various posts, including shooting large artillery on the sprawling fields outside Shilo, Manitoba. Eventually, he became Lieutenant Colonel, responsible for working toward standardization of NATO protocols. “My Dad was truly dedicated to Canada on so many levels,” Liese says. When Vic retired from the military after 39 years, he began working to open an Honour House in New Westminster, B.C. (Honour Houses across Canada are homes where veterans and emergency service workers can stay during times of crisis.) Vic was inspired by the story of Canadian Forces Lieutenant Trevor Greene, who had suffered a critical head injury while conducting peace talks in Afghanistan. Liese says she suffered a similar head injury as a child, and Vic wanted his lasting contribution to the forces to be a safe haven for veterans. “That’s really what inspired Dad,” she says. At the time, Vic was president of the Royal United Services Institute in Vancouver, and helped organize and sponsor the benefit concert Salute to Our Troops in Afghanistan. He helped raise over $1.25-million for the home’s construction. Since opening in 2010, the Honour House in New Westminster B.C. has provided 10,527 nights of free accommodation to about 1,000 veterans, emergency service personnel, and members of the Armed Forces in need. 

Jack Behrmann

"He had this amazing capacity for fun"

For Jack Behrmann, family gatherings meant an opportunity to do what he loved most. Jack’s wife Cindy Behrmann says he was sure to be found in one place—surrounded by the children, making them laugh. “He did magic tricks, he pulled coins out of kids’ ears. He had this amazing capacity for fun,” Cindy says. During the couple’s annual trips to the Dominican Republic, neighbourhood children would gather around Jack to watch him perform his tricks. Back home in Richmond, B.C., Jack's passion for children extended to his work, where he was a beloved pediatrician. He was eventually promoted to Chief of Pediatrics at Richmond Hospital, a position he held for a decade. Jack worked hard to ensure families could be close to their sick children. He fought to open the Child Health Centre and hired more pediatricians for the hospital during a time when most resources were going to facilities in Vancouver. According to Cindy, Jack always just wanted to help people. “He had this expansive compassion to allow for all of these different types of families, types of belief systems, types of approaches: always focus on the kid and give them the best you can,” she says. After Jack’s death, Cindy went to switch the car registration from his name to hers. After hearing his name, the insurance agent broke down. Jack, she told Cindy, had treated her son.