'She touched so many people': Monument to Jennifer Casey nearly finished

A monument in Kamloops, B.C., to Halifax-born Capt. Jennifer Casey almost four years after her death means a lot to those remembering her.

Work still remains to be done on the base of the structure, but the local community has been invited to see it in its current form. 

Casey, 35, was a public affairs officer for the Canadian Forces Snowbirds and former journalist. She died on May 17, 2020, when the aircraft she was in crashed after takeoff in Kamloops.

Casey was taking part in a cross-country tour meant to raise the national spirit in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic and following the mass shooting in Nova Scotia a month earlier.

Casey's friend, Corinne MacLellan, who is based in Halifax, said Casey was the driving force behind the tour, known as Operation Inspiration.

MacLellan said it is difficult to look back on that time, but she gets a "great sense of happiness" knowing Casey loved what she did.

"She touched so many people and it's great to have this monument because her story will continue to be told, as it should be."

The stainless steel monument is named "May She Soar" and depicts an actual-size RCAF CT-114 Tutor Snowbird plane.

Sarah Holliday of Kamloops designed the monument. She responded to a request for proposals from the city in 2022 for a memorial to Casey to be installed in Fulton Field Park, adjacent to the city's airport.

Holliday said she researched Casey to learn about her as a person to develop the concept for the monument.

After her design was selected, Holliday said she worked with friends at a local fabrication company to finalize its construction.

She told CBC Radio's Daybreak Kamloops it was a great honour to be chosen to memorialize Casey, who she described as "a really wonderful person."

According to Holliday, the three pillars supporting the monument represent the three communities that she touched. One is for Kamloops, one is for Halifax and the other for the Royal Canadian Air Force and military.

A formal ceremony will be held in the fall to mark the opening of the park and dedication of the monument.

A statement from Lt.-Col. Jean-François Dupont, commanding officer of the 431 Air Demonstration Squadron, said the Snowbirds are honoured by the tribute to Casey.

"The Snowbirds will be conducting our Spring Training at 19 Wing, Comox, on the anniversary of the tragic accident," the statement said.

"The team will have Captain Casey in mind and heart and will be remembering her by creating the best aerobatic demonstration they can, as she would have loved to see when she was with the team."