The family of one of two men killed 10 days ago at the Western Forest Products sawmill in Nanaimo, B.C., asked mourners to wear red, not black, today at his memorial service.
Michael Lunn, a 61-year-old father of three and grandfather of five, was pronounced dead on arrival at Nanaimo General Hospital after a gunman opened fire at the sawmill on April 30.
The mill's former plant chairman was known for his red T-shirts and his family and friends are using that fact to help turn the tragedy into something that helps others.
Longtime family friend Lynn Jacques says she will now chair the Red Shirt Foundation, an organization devoted to preventing workplace violence — an issue Lunn encountered throughout his working life.
"Michael has experienced violence and some very traumatic acts early in his career working in the forest industry, and I think he recognized that the frustrations of people can have some pretty devastating effects," Jacques said.
Jacques said she expects hundreds of coworkers, union members, friends and family will opt to wear red instead of black at Lunn's funeral.
The funeral for 53-year-old Fred McEachern is also being held in Nanaimo on Saturday.
Two others were wounded in the shooting rampage.
A 47-year-old former employee of Western Forest Products, Kevin Douglas Addison, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder with a firearm connected to the sawmill shooting.