As cars rushed past and planes roared overhead, three friends huddled together in the pulsing November rain and asked each other two questions; who and why?
Who would strip away the precious pieces of a roadside shrine they created in memory of their cherished family member and close friend and why would they do it without asking?
Every other day since the tragic and horrific accident in July on Russ Baker Way at Gilbert Road, Christy Mahy’s sister and friends have taken it in turn to maintain the memorial at the very spot where she lay, seconds after being catapulted by a car from the island of the intersection where she had stood with her bike, waiting to cross.
Last Thursday evening, that all changed when Mahy’s sister, Joni, happened to drive by the lamppost where they “visit” Christy.
“I noticed very quickly something wasn’t right. It was all gone,” said an upset Joni.
“This is a very special place for us; how can someone come along and take everything away without even speaking to us?”
All that was left was a little wooden cross planted in the ground and a plastic snowflake, taped to the lamppost.
Among the items gone were a plethora of stuffies, fresh flowers, a little Christmas tree and a piece of lattice work with a heart on it, made by Christy’s neighbour.
“Most of the stuff has been there since the accident, but there’s up to 10 of us who have taken turns every week at keeping it clean and free from anything unsightly,” said Christy’s friend, Brandie Mol.
“We miss her dearly, she was a special person and we are all very, very upset about this.
“She always loved having visitors, so we make sure we’re over here as much as possible to keep her company.
“The authorities have contact information; someone should have contacted us before doing this.”
After making sure none of their group had cleared out the memorial, on Friday they contacted a friend who works for the City of Richmond to find out who might be responsible.
After making a few phone calls Monday, the News discovered the area is maintained by the Vancouver Airport Authority (VAA).
After investigating the matter, VAA told the News that its contractor, tasked to keep roads and adjacent grass areas on Sea Island clear and clean of debris, mistakingly “cleaned” the site last Thursday morning.
VAA spokesperson Jenny Duncan said the contractor drove by the site Thursday morning and “noticed broken vases, burned out candles and wilted flowers.
“He remembers broken glass and thought it might have been vandalized and wanted to clean it up.”
Duncan said the contractor doesn’t recall seeing any lattice work or stuffed toys.
“It’s really unfortunate and we obviously apologize,” added Duncan. “Hopefully, we can reach out to the family and friends and see if there’s anything we can do.”
Anne Murray, VAA’s vice president of marketing and communications, said she presumes the contractor thought he was “doing the right thing, but he shouldn’t be removing things without asking us first.”
Duncan said the VAA doesn’t have a policy to deal with roadside memorials, but will now be looking into it.
The City of Richmond allows such memorials to remain in place for a period of time out of respect. However, they are monitored to ensure they don’t impede traffic or become a safety concern. If that happens, the family is notified prior to the removal of any items.
Christy Mahy, a longtime Richmond resident who attended McNair secondary, was killed when the driver of an SUV lost control and struck her. The driver has yet to be charged.
