A West Kelowna family is mourning the loss of an incredible son, brother, father and husband after he was killed in an avalanche near Kaslo earlier this week.
Professional snowboarder Jeff Keenan was one of three men killed in an avalanche on the east side of Kootenay Lake Monday, during a heli-skiing trip.
Speaking with Castanet from his West Kelowna home, Kris Keenan described his brother as “amazing.”
“[He had] the biggest smile, he was there to help anyone who needed help,” Kris said. “He was a loving father, a loving husband. Him and his son just had an amazing bond. Jeff would just cheer anyone up, easy going, he could relate to anyone.”
The Keenans were born in Ontario where they grew up ski racing, but they moved to North Vancouver when Jeff was in his early teens and he soon fell in love with snowboarding. Jeff and Kris' mother also lives in West Kelowna now.
“Snowboarding was everything to him,” Kris said. “He had a huge love for the snowboarding community, he worked with many shops, had many sponsorships, then he started his own snowboard manufacturing company.”
Jeff had transitioned to filming snowboarding films and he and his wife Leanne Pelosi were filming for their latest film when the tragedy occurred.
When the avalanche struck Jeff, Leanne dug him out herself and performed CPR for more than 30 minutes.
Friends have set up a GoFundMe page to help Leanne, his partner of 20 years, and their two-year-old son Khyber through these difficult times.
“Leanne now needs time to grieve, to heal, and to show up for Khyber without the immediate pressure of returning to work, especially when her work is in the same backcountry that just took the love of her life,” the GoFundMe page states.
“We’re raising funds to give her that time. To help cover memorial and evacuation costs, legal logistics, living expenses, child care, and to start a fund for Khyber’s future. This is how we hold her up. This is how we show her she’s not alone.”
As of Thursday afternoon, more than 1,700 people have donated over $255,000 to the fundraising efforts.
“We are beyond grateful for the incredible generosity shown for Leanne and Khyber,” an update on the page states.
“One of Jeff’s only life dreams was to raise Khyber in Whistler. This fund will help Leanne stay in the home she built with Jeff, honouring his dream and providing the stability and support Khyber needs.”
Stellar Heli Skiing owner Jason Remple, 53, and marketing manager at The North Face Alex Pashley, 45, from Idaho, also died in the avalanche. A fourth skier from Nelson, who is 40 years old, was also struck by the avalanche and is in critical condition.
