A Sundre man recently killed while riding his motorcycle home from Olds was an avid vehicle and outdoor enthusiast who enjoyed volunteering in the community and spending time with friends and family.
Henryk Yonza, 47, was on Highway 27 east of town travelling home on his motorcycle after finishing a shift in Olds late on the night of Friday, April 29 when he crossed paths with an eastbound Sean Terrance Letwin, a 30-year-old from Beaverdell, B.C. Police said Letwin crossed the centre line and collided with Yonza.
Letwin, who was arrested without incident at the scene of the crash, was subsequently charged with the following offences: impaired operation of a motor vehicle causing death, having a blood-alcohol concentration over the legal limit and operating a motor vehicle while unauthorized.
After a judicial interim release hearing on Monday, May 2, Letwin was released on cash bail with several conditions including abstaining from alcohol and not being found in the driver's seat of any vehicle, said police. He is to appear in Didsbury provincial court for his first appearance on Monday, May 16.
Despite emergency workers' diligent efforts, Yonza succumbed to his injuries after being airlifted by STARS to a Calgary hospital.
“We were pretty much best friends,” said Don Flahr, the Sundre and Edson area manager for Pat's Offroad and Transport, during a phone interview with the Round Up. The two had once worked together and remained close after Yonza moved on in 2012.
From sunup to sundown, Yonza, who on the side operated a moving company, was always a busy individual who wouldn't think twice about offering a hand to anyone in need, he said.
“It didn't matter if he was sick or tired, he was there to help. He was that kind of guy.”
An avid vehicle and outdoor enthusiast, Yonza was fond of quadding, hunting, dirt biking and camping. He loved family and life, said Flahr, who owns a recreational property near Caroline where Yonza spent “just about every weekend during the summer.”
Flahr, a father of three boys, said Yonza enjoyed playing games with the kids whenever he had the chance.
“He was a big part of our family.”
They talked on a nearly daily basis, and Flahr said he had last seen his friend on that fateful Friday. The night before, Yonza had visited him to pick up a recreational vehicle he had purchased from Flahr to prepare the camper for the upcoming May long weekend.
The only reason Yonza had been riding his motorcycle was to save on the fuel cost of driving his truck back and forth between Sundre and Olds, where he had been working at Walmart for several months after being laid off from a lumber trucking position he had in Sundre before that, said Flahr.
Chris Vardas, who was acquainted with Yonza through his time on the local municipal planning commission, described him as a “nice fellow” who kept to himself.
“He was always telling jokes,” said Vardas, going on to call Yonza “upbeat.”
The alleged circumstances that led to his untimely death are unacceptable, said Vardas.
“(Some) people should grow up and know that it's dangerous,” he said about impaired driving.
“Considering how long we've been trying to educate people on this, it's sad that some people are still doing it.”
Going out to drive impaired and potentially taking someone's life instead of calling a cab or finding another alternative is simply not worth it, he said.
Now, the community is coping with a senseless and preventable loss of life. Although it offers little comfort to those left behind, Yonza will at least live on in the memories of those whose lives he was a part of.
“He was just a great stand-up guy,” said Flahr.
“He'll truly be missed.”
Yonza leaves behind a brother, a mother, a daughter who lives in Manitoba as well as his wife Laurie, whom he married just last June.
“The first thing that comes to mind is his loving, dear heart,” she told the Round Up when asked how she remembers Yonza.
Their time together — about seven months — might have been relatively brief, but “it was wonderful. We had a great time,” she said, her voice wavering as she fought tears.
Yonza was a community-minded individual who volunteered with local programs like Santa's Anonymous and the food bank. Following his death, Laurie decided to make a donation to the food bank because “it's what he would have wanted.”
She urges anyone who's considering getting behind the wheel impaired to consider the families of others. An impaired driver is not just putting him or herself in danger but everyone else around them as well, she said.
“Think about other people's lives if you're drinking and driving. Think about what they have.”
