Tulameen sudden death victims were starting new chapter in their lives together
Sarah MacDermid, 31, and Casey Bussiere, 37, were found unconscious on Bussiere's property on Otter Lake
Sarah MacDermid, 31, and Casey Bussiere, 37, had big plans for their life together. They found a new place in Pitt Meadows that would allow a dog and had just adopted a golden retriever puppy named Bernie.
Their families say they were excited to begin work on a new cabin at Otter Lake in Tulameen, B.C., north of Princeton.
They already had blueprints and a permit for the home-away-from-home, and were going to build on Bussiere's property, which had been in his family for three generations.
It's at that property, however, that tragedy struck over the B.C. Day long weekend.
According to RCMP, the two were found unconscious in an outdoor shower building about an hour after they entered. The water was heated by propane, and police said first responders could smell the fuel when they arrived late Monday.
The couple couldn't be saved.
"It was pretty unsettling to get that news," said MacDermid's father, Stuart MacDermid, who learned about the deaths on Tuesday.
"You couldn't believe that it could happen this way, for them both to go at the same time — in a washroom too," he said. "It's very hard to understand."
The news rippled through both families, sowing shock and disbelief at every step.
"It's the worst possible news, so, just devastation, it's still hard to believe," said Bussiere's younger sister, Kelsey Racine.
A broad community of friends was also blindsided by the tragedy.
"You wake up that day, and it seems like a normal day, and then it's amazing how quickly your life can change," said Holly Dunham, a longtime friend of MacDermid's who has helped organize a Gofundme campaign to support the families.
"We were just shattered."
Bussiere worked in construction and had a passion for snowmobiling in the mountains in the winter and boating on the lake in the summer.
MacDermid recently began a career in nursing, and was known by family and friends for her caring, thoughtful nature.
"They both were very similar people — outgoing and just vibrant, fun-loving, welcoming, just wonderful, wonderful people," said Dunham.
"I think they were drawn together for their mutual love of being outdoors and enjoying themselves and living life to the fullest."
Racine and Bussiere's older sister, Sherona Bussiere, remember their brother as always being the centre of fun activities and adventure in the family. The two describe him as the organizer who ensured everyone was able to take part and enjoy themselves.
"He was kind of like the gravitational pull at the centre of the family," said Racine. "He was just the fun one."
MacDermid's younger sister Kayla MacDermid described Sarah MacDermid as the glue the held the family together — like Bussiere — always getting everyone together.
"She's such an amazing light in all of our lives, and it doesn't even make sense to think she doesn't exist," she said. "It's an empty chair at the table."
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