'Now there's going to be closure': Body of fisherman Moe Getson found

A body has been found on the shore in western P.E.I., on the Northumberland Strait, and a family member and RCMP have confirmed it is Maurice (Moe) Getson.

Getson was one of two fishermen who died when the fishing boat Kyla Anne capsized off North Cape on Tuesday. The body of Capt. Glen DesRoches was recovered on the weekend.

Getson's body was found on the shore near Campbellton, P.E.I., about 45 kilometres from the site of the sinking, at about 8 a.m.

"It was a big relief to find him," said Moe's brother Stewart Getson. "Now there's going to be closure."

Stewart said he was at work when he learned his brother's body had been found. He went home to meet his wife where they then drove to Campbellton to confirm what they'd heard.

As the family mourns together and gets ready to prepare the funeral for Moe, Stewart can't help but smile thinking of the man his brother was.

'A bright, cheery person everybody loved'

"There was never a dull moment, wherever Moe was at he was always laughing, telling jokes," he said. 

"He was always there for any of the kids outside, he was always out either playing with them or joking around with them. That's the type of guy he was."

Isabelle Getson, Moe's neice, said now that her uncle's body has been found there was a weight lifted off her shoulder. "I can finally start to live my life again," she said.

Like Stewart, she too spends a lot of time thinking about the "character" that her uncle Moe was — the man that always had put a smile on everyone's face.

"He always made everybody laugh and he was just always there whenever you needed a helping hand," she said. "He was always a bright, cheery person everybody loved."

'You can move on'

Capt. Glen DesRoches's body was found Sunday morning, just 500 metres west of the North Cape Lighthouse. At a vigil on Sunday, DesRoches's family said they were grateful he had been found, but would not rest until Getson had also been recovered.

Visitation hours for DesRoches will be at the Rooney Funeral Home Wednesday, 6-9 p.m. There will be additional visiting hours on Thursday from 1 p.m. until time of departure.

The funeral for DesRoches will take place Thursday afternoon at St. Simon and St. Jude Church in Tignish at 4 p.m.

'It puts everybody's mind at rest'

One of Kyla Anne's crew members, Tanner Gaudet, was able to swim to shore after the boat capsized.

For almost a week the crew members of the Kyla Anne were the subject of an intensive search both along the shore and on the water.

Even after the official water search ended Wednesday evening local fishermen stayed out in their boats looking. Other community members walked the shore, looking for signs of the boat.

Tignish Fire Chief Allan Gavin said there is relief in the community that both bodies have now been found.

"It's a sad day for our community but it's also a relief with the person being found. It puts everybody's mind at rest," said Gavin.

"You can move on to the grieving.… With not finding the bodies you're always wondering what happened and where are they."

Gavin said Tignish has always been a close-knit community, but the people have grown closer as they worked to help one another through this tragedy.

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With files from Steve Bruce, Brian Higgins and Maritime Noon