Victim of hit and run ‘loved Saskatchewan and the people there’
Family reeling after last week’s collision that took life of 50-year-old Ontario man
The brother of 50-year-old Kevin Jacob, the Ontario man who died last Tuesday after being hit by a truck on Winnipeg Street, described him as a “people person” who loved his job and the way of life he had found in Saskatchewan.
“A cable guy for life, as we would call him,” Trevor Jacob said with a chuckle, speaking by phone from Ontario. “Basically what he did for Ryko was his life.”
Jacob, who had worked for Ryko Telecommunications in Regina for some six years, had moved west from Ontario more than 15 years ago, his brother said.
“He loved Saskatchewan and the people there,” he said. “I heard some of his guys (at Ryko) are having a hard time. Kevin was just that well liked.”
“He could easily have gotten a job in the cable industry in Ontario,” Jacob said, remarking how his brother’s love of skiing initially took him to Grand Prairie, Alta., before he came to Regina. As well as skiing, Kevin had a great love for ATVs.
“He loved getting muddy and riding around the trails,” Jacob said. “He always loved doing that type of stuff. The muddier the better.”
At around 8 a.m. last Tuesday the Regina Police Service responded to a report of a man being hit by a truck on Winnipeg Street between 11th Avenue and 12th Avenue. The vehicle left the area but was found abandoned nearby. It was later confirmed by police as the Ryko truck used by Jacob for his work.
On Wednesday at 6:37 p.m. Thomas Richard Nahbexie, 18, was arrested by a police canine team near the 1100 block of Retallack Street, with Jacob’s property allegedly found in his possession. He made his first court appearance on Friday, charged with failure to stop at the scene of an accident involving death, theft of a motor vehicle, possession of stolen property under $5,000, and theft under $5,000.
“As you can imagine, we are all in shock at what has transpired over the last week,” Ryko said in a statement Tuesday. “We are saddened by the loss of our friend and valued colleague Kevin Jacob. Kevin was a great guy to be around and will truly be missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends at this most difficult time.”
“He always had a smile on his face. He was a people person,” Trevor Jacob said, adding that his brother had no family of his own but leaves behind his parents, only brother, sister-in-law and two nieces who are all saddened by his death.
“It’s very rough on them,” Jacob said of his parents. “(Wondering) what happened exactly. So many questions. It’s very hard to believe. We’re still in shock.”
The Jacob family originally hailed from New Dundee, Ont., with Trevor saying they expect the body back in that province by Friday.
He had high praise for Regina police and the people of Saskatchewan.
“Everybody I’ve talked to from Saskatchewan has been just terrific,” he said. “You guys have a great province. Everybody has been so friendly out there.
“Kevin wouldn’t have wanted a funeral,” he added. “We’re going to be holding a celebration of life, probably early September. His friends from out that way can come.
“I just can’t believe that bad things happen to good people like Kevin. I’m thinking he was just at the wrong place at the wrong time.”