Brandonites remember shooting victim

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This article was published 05/10/2017 (2982 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Tara Roe (Smith) grew up in the type of close-knit neighbourhood that most people are only exposed to in books and movies.

After news of the 34-year-old’s death in Sunday’s Las Vegas mass shooting broke earlier this week, her home community came together to mourn their shared loss.

Approximately 20 people gathered for a private vigil outside Roe’s childhood home in Brandon’s Kirkcaldy Heights neighbourhood on Tuesday night, where parents Mark and Brenda Smith still reside, neighbour Loretta Hamilton said.

Although the Smiths are out of town, the community felt as though they had to do something to mourn the loss of one of their own, Hamilton said. In addition to sharing whatever news they had between them, neighbours prayed for the family.

A wreath, flowers and candles were set up outside of the house.

A handful of neighbours also took to raking leaves from their lawn.

Mark is a stickler for his lawn, and neighbour Loretta Hamilton said that he would have been disappointed to have seen it covered with leaves.

Roe was one of four Canadians killed in Sunday night’s mass shooting at an outdoor concert in Las Vegas, where at least 59 people were killed and more than 500 were injured.

Although Roe had since relocated to Okotoks, Alta., where she lived with husband, Zach, and their two young children, Hamilton said that Roe returned to Brandon every summer and Christmas.

“Tara’s heart was here,” she said.

The Kirkcaldy Heights neighbourhood has been home to the Smith family for a few generations, Hamilton said.

Roe was the youngest in a four-pack of girls, joining an older sister and Hamilton’s two girls who played together in the neighbourhood, although Hamilton said that Roe always kept another group of kids as close friends through her time at Kirkcaldy Heights School and Crocus Plains Regional Secondary School.

While some people have come and gone during the years, the majority of the people who still reside in the neighbourhood have been there long-term.

Sometimes, it takes newcomers moving into the neighbourhood for them to realize how unique a circumstance they have, Hamilton said, adding that some find it “a little bit crazy” how close they are.

Every Christmas finds the neighbourhood host a party at a rotating household.

They started out as late-night rippers a few decades ago but have since subsided to family-friendly community get-togethers, Hamilton said.

While everyone knew everyone, and Tara was no exception, Hamilton said that she always stuck out, both for her beauty and sense of humour, in that she could always take a razzing.

Lucine Gagne and husband Glen Kannegiesser live across the street from the Smiths and contributed to Tuesday night’s vigil.

While they’ve only lived in the neighbourhood for approximately two years, Gagne said that they’ve already come to realize how special it is to live there.

The Smiths are “really nice people,” Gagne said, adding that while she was heartbroken upon learning what took place in Las Vegas, it was particularly devastating to know that her neighbourhood was directly impacted.

Roe’s death marks the neighbourhood’s third major loss in the past year, Hamilton said, adding that there they lost one member following a long illness and another in a sudden death.

The “pinch of life’s tragedies” are infringing on their “warm, fuzzy place,” Hamilton said.

The Smiths are currently out west, with Mark joining Zach in Las Vegas and Brenda helping take care of the two grandchildren in Okotoks.

Hamilton said that the Smith household is in good hands until they return, with members keeping a close watch on both it and the leaves that fall on Mark’s immaculate lawn.

» tclarke@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @TylerClarkeMB