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Ashley Tulk & Matthew Symes Tribute

Symes & Tulk Feb 05

In Fond and Loving Memory

Children are gifts from God,to be loved, cherished and enjoyed until He calls them home to Heaven.

Ashley Tulk
September 22, 1988 – January 21, 2005

Matthew Symes
July 08, 1987 – January 21, 2005

Double Tragedy

Friday evening, January 21, 2005 is a date most residents of Fortune will never forget. Double tragedy struck the community when an unfortunate automobile accident claimed the lives of two of our bright young people: Ashley Tulk, age 16 and Matthew Symes, age 17. Both were Petty Officers in the Royal Canadian Sea Cadet Corps 290 Sir Humphrey Gilbert and honour students at John Burke High School. They were loved and respected by all who knew them and will be greatly missed.

To the parents Paul & Verna Tulk, Stan & Shelly Symes; brothers Terry Tulk & Bradley Symes; plus all other relatives and friends, the thoughts and prayers of the entire community are with you at this time.

The Fortune Outdoors column that month was a special one and therefore has been printed here instead of in the usual place.

Fortune Outdoors … with Bill Butt

The phone rings, on the other end a quiet voice says in almost reverence, did you hear who it was that was killed in the accident on the high way between Frenchman’s cove intersection and the high way, I caught my breath that seem to be fading as I waited for the news of who it was, my friend didn’t know, the first thing that goes through your mind is it one of ours? The breath gets shorter is she trying to tell us something in the best way she knows how?, and then of course she had told us that nobody knew up to this time, with a part sigh of relief we ask for any particulars concerning the accident, and all was known was that it was two teenagers of Fortune, but they didn’t know of how many more, my heart skipped another beat, now wondering who it might be and if this is really true?

And then the terrible news that two of our lifelong friends’ children had been the ones involved, my wife and I had this sickly lost feeling in our stomachs, this can’t be true; phones calls were made to the grandparents only to be told the truth that we didn’t want to hear. In a state of shock our night was sleepless, you wanted to call the family, but what do you say? Death is never nice, but when it comes to the children of your friends it burns a hole in your whole being.

On Sunday afternoon the church over-flowed with friends and family members of these two teenagers. It was said that over 2000 people passed through the church in support of the families. I don’t think there was a dry eye in the church, those two youths had so much going for them, high ranks in the sea cadets that they both truly loved and gave all it was worth, we have always been invited to their close-out ceremonies, it would do your heart good to see how well they and other children did their thing and a showing of pride was on their faces. They will long be remembered in their corps, and no doubt there will be something to make sure that those two who gave so much to the corps will always be remembered in the town of Fortune. (continued at right)

The day those two special citizens of Fortune were laid to rest it was obvious that they were respected by classmates, cadets, Town folks, including the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 25, the sponsoring body for the Sea Cadets of which they were excellent Cadets & helped out the Legion on a yearly basis during our poppy campaign and War memorial services.

I have added a poem to my column as my personal remembrance to them, to say I am truly sorry for their untimely passing, for the loss of two of the finest in this community’-

Lost Friends Of The Family

Matthew Symes & Ashley Tulk
Together in life, together in death.

With a heavy heart, and tear filled eyes I looked upon each face,
You both now have being taken away, and cannot be replaced,
So much sorrow your passing has brought,
Two young lives taken, who would have thought,
You have touched the hearts of every one, and the ones that knew you best
Your class mates, your cadets friends, the whole town watched as you were laid to rest
In our hearts a void is left by the passing of you two,
But memories of your gifted lives, even death cannot undo.
Such a hard way to go, and very young, your plans for life are now on hold.
For those of us who knew you best, our memories are like gold
Memories are something to cherish, and help to ease the pain.
Of the void that you both left behind, until we meet again.

© Bill Butt Jan. 25th 2005

Fortune Teller