\u0022Steve never once complained about his situation or the pain he was in. He was not concerned for himself, he was concerned that his family would be OK.\u0022
“He’d say, ‘Smile, enjoy every moment, you never know how tall your building is,’ ” Vancouver firefightersaid Thursday morning, addressing a service for Letourneau, a 34-year Vancouver firefighting veteran who died in June 2020.
“Steve never once complained about his situation or the pain he was in. He was not concerned for himself, he was concerned that his family would be OK.”, had been diagnosed with colorectal cancer in November 2014, and given just months to live. COVID-19 prevented a celebration of life until now and about 1,050 people — most of them firefighters in dress uniforms from Metro Vancouver and all over North America — crammed into St. Andrew’s Wesley United Church in Downtown Vancouver for the service.
Steve Letourneau, in a 1998 file photo, smiles at realizing a cat he has been resuscitating has come around. He had worked on the cat about 20 minutes.Photos on display gave a glimpse into Letourneau’s personality: Paddleboarding on Osoyoos Lake, playing hockey, popping a wheelie on his motorcycle, playing lacrosse — all in his hospital gown, his cheeks proudly flapping in the wind, living life to the fullest and nary a peep of complaint despite the pain and the death sentence.
A loving and passionate family man, friend and colleague who always valued others first, Letourneau was a leader, outdoorsman and driver extraordinaire behind the wheel of the ladder truck. And a storyteller: Were he still with us and able to speak at his own service, we might be just now getting to the bit in the Maui story where he describes the colour and texture of the mud on the wheels of the truck.Article contentLine of Duty Death Memorial for Captain Steve Letourneau arrives at St. Andrew's Wesley United Church in Vancouver, BC., on April 14, 2022. NICK PROCAYLO/PNGLine of Duty Death Memorial for Captain Steve Letourneau arrives at St.