To celebrate a life when one is lost keeps memories alive.
Dr. Larry Merritt, a Prince George chiropractor, has chosen to celebrate the life of his beloved wife Lois through an annual fundraising dinner at White Goose Bistro.
The fifth annual Remember Lois Merritt Fundraising Dinner to support the Kordyban Lodge goes March 16 at 6 p.m.
Before Lois passed away in 2011 from uterine cancer, she expressed an interest in volunteering at the Kordyban Lodge where out-of-towners would stay while getting cancer treatment at the B.C. Cancer Agency's Centre for the North in Prince George.
"We spent seven weeks in Victoria getting radiation treatment and she really saw the need for a cancer lodge - we didn't stay in the lodge there but we'd met lots of people that had and Lois had said at times there was a 90-person wait list to stay there," said Merritt. "She always said she wanted to volunteer when we got our cancer lodge."
Lois died before the Kordyban Lodge opened on March 1, 2013. The lodge provides accommodation for cancer patients and their caregivers from all over northern B.C. who need to come to Prince George for outpatient treatment.
"It's so important to support these kinds of services," said Merritt, who as an artist has donated artwork to the lodge and offers his work as silent auction items during the annual memorial event.
The fundraiser was created as a result of a very generous offer.
The Cyr family that owns the White Goose Bistro are close friends with the Merritt family.
"When I told Ryan (Cyr, the chef) the story that Lois really wanted to donate time to the cancer lodge, Ryan said 'why don't you put on a dinner and raise money for the lodge and that will be Lois's contribution.' So we did," said Merritt, who has been a chiropractor for 42 years.
It took him a while to figure out that's what he wanted to do, said Merritt.
"It wasn't an instant decision because you're pretty emotional at a time like that," said Merritt, who has three children and a few grandchildren. "So we decided to do it but then we had to decide when."
Merritt wanted the event to occur before the first anniversary of Lois' death which was in July and it was decided the date would be the Merritts' wedding anniversary on March 16.
"So what we do is put on a dinner with silent auction and all proceeds go to the Kordyban Lodge," said Merritt, who said the event has helped him heal from the tragedy of losing the woman he thought he'd spend the rest of his life with.
"There is nothing that has hit me as hard as when I lost my wife - it kind of stopped the world," said Merritt.
To date, the event has raised more than $25,000 and he hopes to push that total to more than $30,000 for the fifth annual event.
"People are amazing," said Merritt. "People have donated to the silent auction every year. There's Winemates and More Inc. that supplies the wine every year and we take over the White Goose Bistro for the evening and that's all donated by the (Cyr) family. They've just been wonderful."
People who have moved away from Prince George continue to donate cash or items to the silent auction even if they can't attend the dinner, said Merritt.
"So the support has been just wonderful," he said.
The event includes a gourmet five-course wine-paired dinner, silent auction and door prizes at The White Goose Bistro, 1205 Third Ave. A minimum tax-deductible donation of $150 in memory of Lois Merritt is appreciated. Tickets are available at the White Goose or call Larry Merritt at 250-564-4202.
