From Michelle Holloway

Darcy and I met when we were pre-teens and swimming for KBM. I don’t remember our first

meeting but remember very quicky gravitating towards him because he was warm, funny, fun, and gave

me hope that not all other KBMers (with a few other exceptions) were kind of assholes! I remember we

were fast friends and my entire family soon latched on as well. When we were younger, I remember him

coming to my cottage and we would enlist him to act in our soap opera home movies we would create.

He was in at least one and as you can image stole the show. I also remember swim meets and sleep

overs and always being so excited to see him and to be around him. He was always a mood lifter and

someone I could truly be myself around. As we got older and both were in post-secondary school in

Kingston at the same time we would see each other likely 4-5 days a week “studying” at Stauffer library

which often looked like talking shit, driving to Tim Horton’s for doughnuts and coffee, noting how

Queens students were generally also kind of assholes, and sometimes keeping guard while the other

had a nap in the library. Good times to say the least. I think I would have gotten through school without

him, but it would not have been half as much fun. I am so thankful for that time with him. We obviously

did study some and I was always so proud of him that he worked so hard to become a nurse. I never saw

him in action but imagine he was amazing at it. Over the past several years Darcy lived far away but we

always stayed in touch. We would call or message and see each other if he was in town which was

always something I looked forward to and relished in when it was happening. One of the last times we

saw each other in Kingston we went for dinner and then drove around Queens for old time’s sake

(including Darcy yelling “Hey Frosh” at a group of older students while we drove by even though they

were clearly not frosh and it was not even close to frosh week- he really knew how to make me laugh!).

More recently Darcy, Rachel and I formed a WhatsApp group and chatted through this several times a

week. Rachel and Darcy would always keep things exciting with their naughty senses of humour and I

loved every second of it. I cannot really articulate yet what I feel knowing he is not going to be with us

anymore. I feel numb and devastated and am trying to focus on the memories I had with him. He was an

unforgettable person and one of the loves of my life. There is no doubt it felt like he was part of our

family, and my sisters and parents loved him as much as I did. Love you always D!