Following the sudden loss of a young father from Virden area, friends of the family, Shalen Plaisier and Breann Bailey, have started a GoFundMe page for his kids. Blair Koop died tragically on Wednesday night, Nov. 18, in an accident on the Highway 39 bypass near Estevan, Sask. He left three young children 10, nine and six.
Plaisier says, “We have started this page, in hopes that we can ease the financial burden of life, and ease the pressure of having to rush back to work, so their family can have time to grieve, together.”
Koop played on the senior hockey team, the Virden Oil Kings, for a number of seasons before taking on head coaching responsibilities from 2016-19. A tribute on the team’s Facebook page says, “Blair’s contribution to the hockey community in Virden was immense, between coaching his children’s teams, presiding over the minor hockey board, to turning our group of riff-raff into a team, Blair’s legacy will live on.
“Blair was an avid hockey lover whether it was with skates on his feet or behind the bench coaching his kids, who love the sport just as much as their dad. He also loved fishing and hunting and made sure to pass this passion on to his children as well.”
An account has also been set up at Scotiabank in Virden.
