Prince George snowplow operator Les Suvee died on the job Saturday, March 1 while clearing an area highway.
His plow went off the road on Highway 16 near Purden Lake.
Suvee was described as a “fun-loving, never formal, and always laughing” person who would “give you the shirt off his back,” according to GoFundMe organizer Thea Klassen.
“There wasn’t a room he couldn’t fill with light through his goofy sense of humour, huge smile, and generous spirit,” Klassen said in the GoFundMe post. “He dedicated his work to ensuring everyone got home to their family at the end of the day, and sadly, he wasn’t given the same in return. He was a son, father, partner, brother, cousin, friend, and more. He will be remembered and missed by everyone who met him.”
Klassen started the GoFundMe to support Suvee’s daughter, Amber Suvee, with the costs associated with her father’s death.
“We could literally have fun anywhere we went,” said Amber. “We would be driving through the mountains, and he’d see a tiny random little turnoff, and all of a sudden we’d be on a two-hour trek through the forest just trying to find something fun. That’s the thing — it’s so hard to pinpoint anything about my dad specifically because I never once had a bad time with him. He was one of my best friends, and we could just have fun, literally, no matter what.”
Amber has had her own share of hardships even before her father’s tragic passing, which has made managing her finances in the wake of his death even more difficult.
“I’ve been on disability since October 2023,” said Amber. “From two not-at-fault car accidents. So I’ve been struggling, just kind of getting by, and then a bunch of stuff happened, and then all of a sudden, now my dad passed away. Financially, unfortunately, he left me the largest mess in the world.”
“My dad didn’t have any liquid funds, so I have to pay for all of that. I’m going to be doing some sort of celebration of life once I can afford it, and then I’ll be travelling back and forth, because I can’t do anything from Alberta — I have to be in BC all the time. So I’m going to be traveling back and forth non-stop… I got left with a terrible, terrible mess to clean up. It’s crazy, because I can’t even take the time to grieve my dad because it’s just non-stop trying to clean up the finances and stuff.”
In addition to her financial struggles, Amber has had to deal with the grief of losing her grandfather, who passed away four months ago. Since then, she has taken on a large role in caring for her grandmother.
She also cares for her mother, who suffered a life-altering brain injury five years ago.
Amber told The Citizen that she was very surprised and thankful for the outpouring of support from the Prince George community in the 24 hours since Klassen started the GoFundMe.
“My friend had the idea, and I thought maybe I could get a couple hundred dollars and then take out a bank loan or something for the rest. Yeah, I think it’s at like $1,300 in 24 hours. That’s insane. I’ve been checking it pretty much nonstop because I just cannot even fathom that people are willing to help me out, especially people I’ve never talked to. It’s just crazy.”
If you are interested in supporting Amber, consider donating to her GoFundMe at this link, or search for "In Loving Memory of Les Suvee" at www.gofundme.com.
