Slain couple remembered as popular coach and respected holistic nurse

Friends of a slain Calgary couple are remembering the victims as a brilliant football coach and a holistic nurse.

Dustin Duthie, 25, is charged with the second-degree murder of his mother, Shawn Boshuck, stepfather, Alan Pennylegion, and girlfriend, Taylor Toller.

Pennylegion was most recently a coach with the Calgary Hilltoppers football organization, says team president Pat Labrash.

“I can’t say enough about the man, he definitely was a man of integrity,” Labrash said of Pennylegion, whom he brought on as an offensive co-ordinator two years ago for the peewee team.

“He was a mentor to me, a mentor to my friends and to his players. I’m just lost for words. It’s not only a loss for football Alberta and football Calgary, but football Canada. He had a big influence on many kids.”

Just last week, Pennylegion informed Labrash he had accepted

a position with the Calgary Colts of the Canadian Junior Football league, not long after he helped lead the peewee Hilltoppers to a Division III championship.

“He always had positive criticisms of everybody, he was easy to get along with on and off the field and kids looked up to him,” Labrash said.

“Players reached out to get his help out of season, (and) coaches from afar reached out to him for his ability to break down film and break down plays. He was one of the most tremendous coaches in community football I had met.”

Labrash said Boshuck was often seen with a smile on her face.

“I met her a few times, she was a very laid back, quiet person but always had a smile on her face,” he said.

“We would go over for coaches’ meetings and she’d … welcome you into the home.”

Friend Tara Ramsay said Boshuck worked as a holistic nurse in Calgary and had recently changed jobs, and that she was “truly a lovely person.”

“She is very well-respected. When her first clinic closed she had several job offers by end of day,” said Ramsay.

Boshuck was the daughter of famed Canadian speedskater Walter (Wally) Boshuck.

A member of the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame, Wally was an accomplished speedskater and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1990 for his work developing and promoting the sport of speedskating in Canada. An arena in Moose Jaw is named after Wally, where he was a coach.