Father’s Day fire victim ‘died a hero’: brother
Don Kohlman made an attempt to save his daughter from blaze
Father’s Day got off to a simple start in the Kohlman apartment, as Julie Kohlman made breakfast for her family.
Julie’s husband Don, 46, and their teenage son, Robin, shared eggs, toast and sausage, while five-year-old daughter Jacqueline ate one of her favourite foods, fried rice.
“Jacquie kissed Don and said ‘Happy Father’s Day,’” Julie Kohlman said Sunday.
Julie Kohlman works as a health-care aide and soon left the family’s Oliver-area apartment on that Sunday, June 16. She walked a few blocks away to administer medication to one of her patients.
She left her purse at home for the quick trip and arrived back at the apartment building 10 minutes later to a chaotic scene, as flames filled her family’s suite on the eighth floor and more than 100 residents were evacuated from the building.
Robin, who turns 14 on Monday, escaped the fire, but his father and sister did not.
Firefighters knew people were trapped inside the eighthfloor suite at 11635 102nd Ave., and worked to knock back the fire for rescue crews to get inside. Don and Jacquie were in serious condition when taken to hospital, and authorities confirmed their deaths the next day.
A funeral for the father and daughter will be held Tuesday morning at St. Angela Merici Parish, the church where Don was baptized and confirmed, located just a few blocks from his parents’ home.
Don’s twin brother, Ron Kohlman, is finding solace in the fact that Don, a devoted stay-at-home dad, died saving his little girl.
Don, 46, had cerebral palsy and relied on a power wheelchair and crutches to get around. Firefighters told his brother that based on where Don’s body was found, they think he had left the suite, but returned to find Jacquie, who was scared and hiding in a closet. “He died a hero,” Ron Kohlman said.
Family members, including Don’s parents Florentine and Peter, and his five siblings, remember a brother and son who always had a positive attitude, despite multiple surgeries and struggles related to cerebral palsy.
Don’s disability meant he never had a driver’s licence, but he was “a big car enthusiast,” said Ron Kohlman. He especially loved muscle cars and had a comprehensive collection of replica models.
He was also a “bit of an artist” and loved to draw, especially detailed pictures of cars, said sister Marlene McDonald.
“My mom and dad did a really good job of, regardless of my brother having a handicap, we all did the same things. We did boating and tubing at the lake, and Don enjoyed camping and getting out, having fun,” said sister Sharon Darrah.
Don graduated from St. Mary’s High School and later took a life-skills course at MacEwan University.
He also loved music, especially rock and Jim Morrison.
“We always thought he would be a DJ growing up,” said sister Kat Leavens.
But Don’s dream, said his father Peter, was to grow up and have a wife and two children, just like his twin brother had.
Don met Julie in 1998, a year after Julie arrived in Edmonton from the Philippines and began working in health care.
“I came to him as a worker and he was so friendly to me,” Julie said.
The two wed the following year and welcomed a son, Robin. Jacquie came nine years later, and celebrated her fifth birthday in May.
The family moved into the eighth-floor apartment about a year ago. They previously lived in a second-floor two-bedroom suite in the same building, but moved up to a three-bedroom suite, marking the first time each family member had their own room.
Julie Kohlman said the apartment was never quiet when Jacquie and Don were around.
“Everyone was Jacquie’s best friend. She always made you feel special,” said Julie Kohlman. “She had a good sense of humour, too, just like her dad.”
Jacquie also liked to sing, occasionally just to annoy her brother. She would sing Friday by Rebecca Black and Someone Like You by Adele.
“She really liked Sonic, the blue hedgehog,” said her brother Robin, who often played Xbox with his sister and dad. Sonic is a character in a series of games.
Fami ly members said Jacquie’s outgoing and friendly nature was inherited from her father.
She made quick friends with anyone she met, even the pizza delivery man, Julie Kohlman said. “‘Thank you pizza man, I love you,’ she would say. ‘You’re my best friend.’”