Son, brother, friend, athlete, pilot. Born May 18, 1989, in Yellowknife. Died July 23, 2010, in a helicopter crash near Elk Lake, Ont., aged 21.
John Tumchewics was a young man of genuine wit, warmth and intelligence. His ability to size up a situation and find its funny side, no matter how grim, won him many friends and made him a natural leader.
One of three children of Robert and Anna Tumchewics, John was raised in Yellowknife, where he learned from his father's and other long-time northerners' skills, humour and work ethic. With a former aircraft maintenance engineer for a father and other relatives in aviation, John wanted to be a bush pilot. His first helicopter ride was at age 5.
On regular trips to the family's cabin east of Yellowknife, John spent many happy hours exploring, swimming, boating, snowmobiling, building forts and cutting wood. These experiences inspired him to become a capable outdoorsman. He also loved to read, draw and tell stories. On trips to British Columbia, Ontario and Germany, he bonded with extended family. John teased his two older sisters, Alicia and Louise, without mercy but cared deeply for them.
John went through school with a core group of buddies. He mimicked voices, quoted scripts, mangled song lyrics, sported creative costumes and invented signature dance moves. He channelled some of his exuberance into sports. He learned to cross-country ski in the Jackrabbit ski program and later raced at both Arctic and Canada Winter Games.
After graduating from high school in 2007, John did environmental remediation work at the mine where his father and grandfather had worked. In 2008, his experiences at mining exploration camps in Nunavut helped him believe that a career as a commercial helicopter pilot could be more than a childhood dream.
At flight school, John became the motivated and diligent student his many frustrated teachers despaired he would ever be. His room was full of textbooks, cue cards, hand-drawn charts and diagrams. John called home almost daily and shared his training experiences, from his first wobbly flight to the day he could hold a helicopter above the ground in one place, joking that he could "hover and keep it in the province!"
John took flying seriously, but his sense of humour brought special levity to flight training. He developed friendships with students and staff, including classmate Ethan Boucha. Born in 1991 near Kenora, Ont., Ethan had much in common with John and joined the many friends who were like John's brothers.
John and Ethan were hired shortly after graduation. They only experienced the joy of flying for a short time. Last July, while flying in Northern Ontario, their helicopter struck an unmarked, abandoned forestry tower and they "slipped the surly bonds of Earth" once and for all. We miss them.
By Alicia Tumchewics, John's sister.