Love and support shown for Casey in Halifax, Moose Jaw
Snowbirds member known for ‘positively infectious personality’
As the Snowbirds prepare to return to Moose Jaw on Monday, one day after an emotional ceremony in Halifax, the boyfriend of the crew member who died tragically in a cross-country tour says there are a few simple ways to show love and support for Capt. Jennifer Casey.
“In lieu of flowers please donate and support your local SPCA, plant a couple of trees in her honour or donate to your local food bank and support those in need,” Capt. Scott Boyd said in a prepared statement prior to Sunday’s procession in Halifax and Monday’s planned event in Moose Jaw — the home of the Snowbirds.
“If you are not in a position to do any of the above,” added Boyd, “please simply kick back on your deck, crack open a local brew and turn the volume up on The Hip in her memory.”
The City of Moose Jaw is encouraging all residents to show support in welcoming home the Canadian Forces Snowbirds, after Casey died in a tragic crash in Kamloops, B.C. on May 17.
The city, Tourism Moose Jaw and 15 Wing Moose Jaw Honourary Col. Lisa Franks are urging residents to show their support for the team by creating creative displays or drawing large hearts with sidewalk chalk. Local fire crews, police and paramedics will also be taking part by parking their service vehicles in the shape of a heart on the Exhibition grounds that will be viewable from the sky.
Wakamow Valley Authority will also be mowing a large heart into the grass at the bottom of Fourth Avenue South.
The Snowbirds air demonstration team and their personnel are set to arrive back in Moose Jaw on Monday around 2:30 p.m. in a Hercules transport aircraft.
Their arrival in Moose Jaw will come one day after a procession in Halifax honouring Casey, as the remains of the young officer remembered for her bright smile arrived in her hometown.
Close friends and family members wearing black and the official Snowbirds colours of red and white laid flowers on her casket during a homecoming ceremony on the tarmac near Halifax Stanfield International Airport.
The 35-year-old military public affairs officer and Halifax native died in the crash of a Snowbirds Tutor jet in a residential area of Kamloops, B.C. The national aerobatics team was on a cross-country tour to boost residents’ spirits during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan and Governor General Julie Payette wore face masks as they stood at the airport ceremony along with dozens of military members.
Payette said the Snowbirds do a risky job and said she was proud to be in Halifax honouring Casey.
“The fact that this happened during Operation Inspiration, where they were going around cheering us Canadians, is even more tragic,” Payette said after the ceremony.
A bagpiper played while military members carried Casey’s casket from the CC-130J Hercules that had taken off from Abbotsford, B.C., Sunday morning after an earlier private ceremony with her Snowbirds teammates.
A police-escorted motorcade left the Halifax airport to transport Casey’s remains through the city to Atlantic Funeral Home.
Spectators were encouraged to wear red and white, and to respect social distancing measures while observing the procession. Supporters parked along Highway 102, many standing beside their vehicles holding Canada and Nova Scotia flags.
In the week since the crash, Casey’s family said she possessed a beautiful smile and a “positively infectious personality” that made her the ideal person to carry out a mission aimed at stirring hope during a time of uncertainty.
Friends and former colleagues have remembered her as upbeat, professional and enthusiastic with lasting pride about her hometown.
Casey’s “final journey home to Halifax” began Sunday morning, according to a tweet posted from the official Snowbirds account.
The Snowbirds thanked Canadians and singled out the residents of Kamloops and local First Nations for supporting Casey, the squadron and Capt. Richard Macdougall, who survived the crash with injuries the military has said are not life-threatening.
“Your love and support is very deeply appreciated, and will never be forgotten,” the tweet read.
Casey earned bachelor’s degrees in arts and journalism from Dalhousie University and the University of King ’s College in Halifax, as well a master’s of interdisciplinary studies from Royal Roads University in Victoria.
Before joining the Armed Forces, Casey had a career as a radio reporter, anchor and producer in Halifax and Belleville, Ont.
She began her military career as a direct entry officer in August 2014 and was assigned to the Snowbirds in 2018.
Operation Inspiration has been suspended while the team’s jets are subject to an “operational pause,” the team’s commander said last week. Lt.-col. Mike French said the events were the “absolute worst nightmare” for the Snowbirds.